Fresh coordinated assaults force mass displacement as rural areas face escalating insecurity
A wave of coordinated attacks by armed bandits has left at least 16 vigilante members dead and more than 40 residents abducted across several communities in Mashegu Local Government Area of Niger State, triggering widespread fear and mass displacement.
The assaults, which unfolded between Sunday, November 9, and Thursday, November 13, 2025, have emptied once-thriving villages as residents flee to safer neighbouring settlements. According to multiple community sources, Dutsen Magaji, Borin-Aiki, Gidan Ruwa, and Magama are now largely deserted.
Residents said the first attack occurred on Sunday when gunmen invaded Dutsen Magaji and abducted 22 people. Local vigilantes confronted the attackers, resulting in a fierce exchange of gunfire that left three vigilantes dead and several others wounded. Five injured persons were reportedly taken to the hospital.
A resident who spoke anonymously due to security concerns said the gunmen returned before dawn on Thursday, November 13, this time targeting Magama village during early morning prayers. He recounted how the attackers surrounded a mosque and seized more than 20 worshippers. Vigilantes who pursued the bandits were ambushed, leading to the deaths of 13 of them and injuries to several others.
The Press Secretary to the Chairman of Mashegu Local Government Area, Isah Ibrahim Bokuta, confirmed the fatalities, describing the fallen vigilantes as heroes who paid the ultimate price in defending their communities. He praised their courage and unwavering dedication amid relentless insecurity.
However, the Niger State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Wasiu Abiodun, told journalists that the police had not yet verified the reported incidents.
Residents say the repeated attacks have compelled villagers to flee to places such as Mashegu, Kawo-Mashegu, and Manigi, while others are seeking refuge with relatives in more distant towns. The scale of displacement continues to grow as fear spreads across the affected regions.
The renewed violence comes as the abductors of a former chairman of the Niger State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), Alhaji Alhassan Bawa Niworo, continue to hold him in captivity. Niworo was kidnapped on September 29 along the Mokwa–New Bussa road in Borgu LGA, alongside the Permanent Commissioner II of the Niger State Independent Electoral Commission, Barrister Ahmad Mohammed, their drivers, and other travellers. While the others were later released, Niworo remains in captivity weeks after his family reportedly paid N70 million ransom.
Niger State remains one of the worst-hit areas in the North-Central zone amid the banditry crisis that has intensified over the past five years. Large portions of Mashegu, Rijau, Mariga, Munya, Shiroro, and Rafi LGAs have suffered repeated raids involving killings, kidnappings for ransom, and extortion of farming communities.
The broader insecurity, spanning Niger, Kaduna, Zamfara, Kebbi, Katsina, and parts of the Federal Capital Territory—is driven by a complex interplay of armed bandit groups, splinter herder militias, and criminal gangs engaging in cattle rustling and rural assaults.
While the government has launched several military operations and encouraged community vigilante formations, results have been mixed. Many rural communities continue to rely heavily on vigilantes for protection despite their limited resources and growing exposure to deadly ambushes.
The latest killings in Mashegu highlight the increasing operational sophistication of the armed groups and reinforce growing concerns about security preparedness as banditry persists across the region.
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