At least 30 people have been killed and several more abducted in a brazen attack on a market in northern Nigeria's Niger state, with witnesses describing the scene as "hell on earth". The gunmen, who arrived from a nearby forest reserve, stormed the Kasuwan Daji market in Demo village at around 4:30pm on Saturday, burning stalls and looting food items before opening fire indiscriminately.
Eyewitnesses, including one of the victims, Dauda Shakulle, who was wounded while fleeing, described the scene as chaotic, with women and children not being spared. "Women and children were not spared," Shakulle told Reuters. "There has been no presence of security forces since the attacks began. We are currently recovering corpses."
The attack is part of a growing trend of violence in northern Nigeria, where dozens of rogue gangs, known as "bandits", often target remote communities with limited security and government presence. The attackers arrived from the National Park Forest along Kabe district, pointing to the usual hideouts for armed gangs.
The recent surge in violence has led to calls for increased military action, with US President Donald Trump recently threatening to take action against Nigeria's armed groups, claiming they were targeting Christians. However, the Nigerian government has rejected these claims, saying that Muslims are the majority victims of attacks by armed groups.
Just last month, another attack in Niger state's Borgu local government area saw more than 300 schoolchildren and their teachers kidnapped from a Catholic school, although those victims were released after nearly a month in captivity. The region has been one of the hardest hit by violence in recent months, with security forces struggling to contain the violence despite ongoing operations.
The attack on the Kasuwan Daji market is just the latest in a series of deadly attacks in the conflict-hit region, highlighting the need for urgent action to address the growing threat of armed groups.
Eyewitnesses, including one of the victims, Dauda Shakulle, who was wounded while fleeing, described the scene as chaotic, with women and children not being spared. "Women and children were not spared," Shakulle told Reuters. "There has been no presence of security forces since the attacks began. We are currently recovering corpses."
The attack is part of a growing trend of violence in northern Nigeria, where dozens of rogue gangs, known as "bandits", often target remote communities with limited security and government presence. The attackers arrived from the National Park Forest along Kabe district, pointing to the usual hideouts for armed gangs.
The recent surge in violence has led to calls for increased military action, with US President Donald Trump recently threatening to take action against Nigeria's armed groups, claiming they were targeting Christians. However, the Nigerian government has rejected these claims, saying that Muslims are the majority victims of attacks by armed groups.
Just last month, another attack in Niger state's Borgu local government area saw more than 300 schoolchildren and their teachers kidnapped from a Catholic school, although those victims were released after nearly a month in captivity. The region has been one of the hardest hit by violence in recent months, with security forces struggling to contain the violence despite ongoing operations.
The attack on the Kasuwan Daji market is just the latest in a series of deadly attacks in the conflict-hit region, highlighting the need for urgent action to address the growing threat of armed groups.
. 30+ people killed and many more abducted? That's just too much. I keep thinking back to the old days when markets were always bustling with life and energy... you know, back in the Y2K era 
. It was like everything was going to be okay forever.
. Can't we all just live in peace for once?
. The US President's comments about targeting Christians are just ridiculous... I mean, can you imagine if someone did that here? We'd be all over it 
.
. But until then, I guess we're just going to have to keep waiting for justice to be served 
.
. cant believe security forces are taking forever to reach the victims 
. and thats not even the first time theres been an attack like this. whats going on with these armed gangs in northern nigeria? 
they seem to be everywhere now. think its time for the govt & intl community to step up & do something about it 
. just 1 more tragedy like this and i fear for the future of northerners... 
. The fact that women and kids were targeted is just heartbreaking 
. We need to do something about this ASAP, but at the same time, we can't just go into the area with guns blazing without thinking about the long-term effects 
. It's time for the government to step up their game and find a way to deal with this issue once and for all 
. We can't keep turning a blind eye to the suffering of innocent people, especially women and children 
.
.
. This is a wake-up call for all of us to demand peace and security for our communities 
. We can't just sit back and watch our fellow humans suffer