Barely 48 hours after terrorists killed over 40 persons in Agwara and Borgu Local Government Areas of Niger State, suspected terrorists in the early hours of Monday attacked the busy Isanlu–Isin–Omu Aran road in Kwara State, kidnapping at least four travellers.
This came on a day suspected terrorists attacked a security outpost manned by the Nigeria Police Border Patrol Team at New Kalli village in Borgu, also in Niger State.
This is even as residents of communities in Agwara and Borgu LGAs of Niger state are fleeing their ancestral homes after the Saturday deadly attack by terrorists on the communities, following rumours of another impending attack being planned by outlaws.
Meanwhile, former Anambra State governor and presidential candidate of Labour Party in 2023 elections, Peter Obi, has condemned the killing of over 40 persons in Niger State, urging the Federal Government to halt what he described as the growing normalisation of mass killings across the country.
Vanguard gathered that the Kwara highway attack occurred when armed men ambushed motorists along the highway, a key route linking communities in Kwara South to the state capital, Ilorin.
A source familiar with the incident said the attackers operated freely on the road, forcing vehicles to stop before whisking passengers to an unknown location.
“Bandits are still heavily present in the area and are actively targeting travellers heading towards Ilorin,” the source said.
At press time yesterday, there had been no official statement from Kwara State Police Command confirming the attack or detailing efforts to rescue the abducted victims.
Kwara State has witnessed a surge in insecurity in recent months, with multiple major kidnapping incidents occurring within a few months.
Recall that on November 18, 2025, gunmen attacked a Christ Apostolic Church, CAC, branch at Eruku during its mid-week service, killing three worshippers, and abducting 38 members, including the pastor, and throwing the congregation into panic and chaos.
The abducted victims were later released; however, terrorist attacks are still on the rise in the North-Central state.
Terrorists set police outpost ablaze in Niger
Similarly, bandits attacked a security outpost manned by the Nigeria Police Border Patrol Team at New Kalli village in Borgu, Niger State.
The attack, which occurred around midnight yesterday, came less than 48 hours after dozens of traders and farmers were killed at Kasuwan Daji, also in Borgu LGA.
Sources told our correspondent that the assailants set ablaze the room used as the police border patrol outpost, destroying officers’ belongings, before torching farm produce belonging to residents.
No casualty was reported, but the incident has heightened fear and frustration among farmers in the area.
One of the sources said the attackers arrived on motorcycles, burned down the officers’ accommodation, destroyed farm produce, and made away with some personal items.
Confirming the incident, the Disaster Officer of Borgu Local Government Council, Musa Saidu, said security agencies had been notified and assessments were ongoing.
Spokesperson of Niger State police command, Wasiu Abiodun, who confirmed the attack, said: “On January 4, 2026, at about 10:30pm, suspected bandits attacked the police border patrol nipping point located at Kale village, via Borgu LGA.
‘’The hoodlums were engaged in a fierce gun battle and were repelled by the police team. However, the security post was engulfed in fire during the exchange. Normalcy was later restored, and reinforcement has been deployed.”
Residents flee communities in Agwara/Borgu LGA after weekend’s deadly attack
However, residents of communities in Agwara and Borgu local government areas of Niger State are fleeing their ancestral homes after weekend’s deadly attack of bandits on the communities.
The residents said there had been rumours of another impending attack being planned by the outlaws.
Mostly affected are residents of Kwana, Tugan Salama, located a few kilometres from Papiri where over 300 pupils, students and staff of St. Mary’s Catholic School were abducted a few weeks ago.
Some of the residents who spoke with our correspondent on condition of anonymity, lamented the absence of security personnel, saying they got hints that the terrorists were about to attack again.
Director of Communications, Catholic Diocese of Kontagora, Revd. Father Matthew Kabirat, who confirmed the development in an interview with journalists, said it was true that the terrorists were planning another attack, noting that parishioners and priests are currently relocating from the area.
“As I am talking to you, our parishioners and priests are leaving for fear of possible attacks. The security personnel that came after the incident cannot be found; there are no signs of help for the people.
“These terrorists are having a field day and our people are moving from that axis for fear of either being killed or kidnapped.
“Those who lost their lives and those kidnapped are both Christians and Muslims, including a number of women and children,” he said.
A villager, who also spoke on condition of anonymity, said people were fleeing the communities because there was no security presence in most of the areas for now.
“There is the need for relevant security agencies to come to our aid because without security, there will be massive and ongoing loss of life and permanent displacement of large numbers of people.
“There is an immediate need for a large and well equipped military task force in the area which should be fully empowered to pursue, engage and eliminate these terrorists whenever they come out of the Games Reserve again for further attacks.
“The terrorists leave their hideout in the Borgu Games Reserve and travel through the Kanu Hills and the villages of Sokonbora, Bako-Mission, and Shafaci to unleash terror on the villages along their routes,” he declared
Another villager, who identified himself simply as Abuka, said the people of Papiri, Kwana, and Tugan Salama in Agwarra and Borgu LGAs are currently living in fear.
“Between Sunday, December 28, 2025, and Saturday, January 3, 2026, the bandits have been roaming freely without challenge by security forces and as a result, the Papiri school children who were recently released from captivity, including my daughter, have been further traumatized as they are forced to hide in the bush with their families whenever reports indicate that the terrorists are nearby.
“The villagers are now leaving fleeing to safer communities far from their ancestral homes for fear of being attacked again,” he said.
End normalisation of mass killings, Obi tells FG
Reacting to the Niger killings yesterday, former Anambra State governor, Peter Obi, urged the federal government to halt what he described as the growing normalisation of mass killings across the country.
In a statement on his X handle, the 2023 presidential candidate on the platform of Labour Party, LP, said the renewed wave of violence showed that Nigeria was entering the new year under the shadow of persistent insecurity.
Obi said the Niger attack is part of a broader nationwide crisis, pointing to a series of deadly incidents recorded in different states within days.
He said: “It is deeply worrisome and unacceptable that, as we usher in a new year, the cycle of senseless killings and insecurity continues unchecked across our nation. In Niger State, we once again witnessed the horrific loss of over 40 lives in a brutal terrorist attack at the Kasuwan-Daji Market in the Domo community of Borgu Local Government Area.
“Armed bandits struck Bong village in Doemak District of Plateau State, leaving multiple people dead. Two days ago, several communities in Shanono Local Government Area of Kano State were attacked by bandits. ‘’On New Year’s Day in Katsina State, the Unguwar Naino community was also attacked, with several lives lost and many others injured.
“These incidents form part of a disturbing and tragic pattern of violence that has sadly become normalised. The repeated failure to provide basic security for citizens is a national shame. As a nation, we cannot continue to normalise these killings. The protection of lives must remain the foremost responsibility of government.
“What Nigerians urgently need is an all-hands-on-deck approach: a coordinated, capable and decisive effort to end the menace of insecurity that has become a daily occurrence.”
Niger State killings barbaric, inhuman — Yilwatda
The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, yesterday, condemned in the strongest terms the gruesome and senseless terrorist attacks on communities in Agwara and Borgu Local Government Areas of Niger State.
Professor Yilwatda described the attacks as barbaric, inhuman, and utterly unacceptable, stressing that they represent a direct assault on Nigeria’s peace, unity, and collective conscience.
The APC chairman, in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Communication Strategy, Mr Abimbola Tooki, expressed deep concern over reports of sustained violence across affected communities, including the killing of harmless villagers in Kasuwan Daji and Kaima, the burning of markets, destruction of homes and places of worship, and the abduction of pupils and students from St. Mary’s Private Catholic Primary and Secondary Schools, Papiri.
Yilwatda said: “This senseless violence against innocent citizens is an affront to our shared humanity. The APC stands firmly with the people of Niger State in this moment of grief and assures them that they are not alone.
“The APC fully supports President Bola Tinubu’s resolute actions and renewed determination to end terrorism and banditry in our country. This administration has demonstrated strong political will, enhanced coordination among security agencies, and a commitment to intelligence-led operations aimed at dismantling criminal networks.
“The forces of terror will not defeat our collective resolve. Nigeria will prevail.”
The APC, he said, remains committed to building a secure, united, and prosperous Nigeria, where no criminal group is allowed to hold citizens hostage through fear and violence.
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