President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has ordered an immediate and intensified manhunt for the terrorists responsible for a deadly attack on the Kasuwan Daji community in Niger State, where no fewer than 30 villagers were feared killed and several others, including women and children, abducted.
The President’s directive comes in the wake of a bloody invasion on Sunday by armed men suspected to be bandits operating from the Kainji Lake National Park.
The assailants stormed a village market in Kabe District, Borgu Local Government Area, setting the market ablaze, looting food items, and opening fire on fleeing residents.
Confirming the casualty figures, the Niger State Police Public Relations Officer, Wasiu Abiodun, stated that a joint security team had been deployed to the scene.
“Over 30 victims lost their lives during the attack, and some persons were also kidnapped. Efforts are ongoing to rescue the victims,” Abiodun said.
Reacting swiftly to the tragedy, President Tinubu directed the Minister of Defence, the Chief of Defence Staff, the Service Chiefs, the Inspector-General of Police, and the Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS) to ensure the perpetrators are tracked down and brought to justice without delay.
In a statement signed by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the President linked the surge in violence to the displacement of criminal elements from other regions.
The Presidency disclosed that the terrorists are suspected to be fleeing from Sokoto and Zamfara States following a United States air strike on their enclaves on Christmas Eve.
“These terrorists have tested the resolve of our country and its people. They must, therefore, face the full consequences of their criminal actions,” President Tinubu declared. “No matter who they are or what their intent is, they must be hunted down. They, and all those who aid, abet, or enable them in any form, will be caught and brought to justice.”
The President specifically mandated the security agencies to prioritize the urgent rescue of all abducted victims, particularly the women and children taken during the raid.
He assured the people of Niger State that operations would be intensified around vulnerable communities, especially those bordering forests that have long served as sanctuaries for criminal gangs.
The attackers, who reportedly used the expansive Kainji Lake National Park forest as cover, left a trail of destruction, burning down the local market after looting wares.
Condemning the attack as an act of monsters, President Tinubu urged Nigerians to remain united and avoid divisive rhetoric that could compromise national security during this critical period.
“These times demand our humanity. We must stand together as one people and confront these monsters in unison. United, we can and must defeat them, deny them any sanctuary. We must reclaim the peace and security of these attacked communities,” the President affirmed.
President Tinubu also extended his heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims and the government of Niger State, promising that the administration remains resolute in its duty to protect citizens and crush the resurgence of terror in the region.