The New Year has begun with fear and bloodshed for communities in north-central Nigeria, where at least 50 people were killed in a series of coordinated attacks between December 28, 2025, and January 3, 2026, across Niger and Kebbi States.
The international papal charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) has condemned the violence, which culminated in a massacre in Kasuwan Daji, a village within the Catholic Diocese of Kontagora. The attacks were detailed in a report sent to ACN and signed by Bulus Dauwa Yohanna, the diocese’s bishop.
According to the report, heavily armed bandits moved in organized groups on motorcycles, striking multiple villages, torching homes and food stores, and targeting civilians. The deadliest assault occurred on January 3, when attackers entered Kasuwan Daji, burned the local market and surrounding houses, and killed 42 men after tying their hands behind their backs. The victims included both Christians and Muslims.
An undetermined number of women and children were abducted, and smoke from the fires was visible up to 15 kilometers away.
Earlier attacks were reported in Kaiwa and Gebe, alongside widespread arson and looting. In Sokonbora, bandits assaulted a Catholic church compound, desecrating religious symbols and stealing church property.
The report states that armed groups have been operating with little resistance across parts of Borgu Local Government Area in Niger State and Shanga Local Government Area, prompting widespread displacement as families flee their homes and farms.
Particularly troubling is the renewed trauma faced by schoolchildren in Papiri, who were only recently freed after a mass abduction in November (pictured above).
Diocesan sources say the children now hide in surrounding bushland with their families whenever rumors of approaching bandits circulate. ACN cautioned that several claims spreading among the population — including the identities of some victims and abductees and the possible recapture of some — have not yet been independently verified.
Bandit groups must be dismantled
In a diocesan statement, Bishop Yohanna urged urgent government intervention, warning that unless bandit hideouts in forested and reserve areas are dismantled — including those believed to exist within the Kainji Game Reserve — the region faces continued mass killings and long-term displacement.
In a separate message, the bishop expressed “profound sorrow” for the victims, describing the attacks as “senseless, barbaric, and inhuman,” and appealed to Christians and Muslims alike to resist division and confront what he called a shared threat to their communities.
ACN echoed that appeal, calling on Nigerian authorities to restore security, protect civilians, and end the impunity enjoyed by armed groups. The foundation reaffirmed its commitment to providing pastoral and humanitarian assistance to affected communities and urged the international community to pay sustained attention to the growing humanitarian crisis in this part of Nigeria.
