Gunmen slaughtered at least 40 people in Kasuwan-Daji village on Saturday afternoon, according to Rev. Fr. Stephen Kabirat, spokesman for the Catholic Diocese of Kontagora. The massacre began around 4:30 PM local time (8:30 AM Mountain Time) on January 3 in Borgu Local Government Area, Niger State. Attackers on motorcycles fired through the market for three hours, burning shops and houses before abducting several residents including children. The Diocese has jurisdiction over the area and reports casualties for its own communities.
Kasuwan-Daji sits near Papiri, where the Diocese operates St. Mary’s Catholic Primary and Secondary School. Demographic research shows Borgu’s ethnic populations reach 60 percent Christian. Some kidnapping victims were St. Mary’s students, local sources report. The village sends its children to that Catholic school.
On November 21, armed men invaded St. Mary’s around 2:00 AM and kidnapped 315 people—303 students and 12 teachers. All hostages were released by December 21. Both attacks originated from National Park Forest along Kabe District. The November raid hit the school directly. Saturday’s massacre hit the village where those families live.
Local sources report armed men were visible in the area for a week before the attack. No action was taken. When the shooting started at 4:30 PM Saturday, it continued for three hours. Residents say no security forces arrived during the attack or even by Sunday morning. Niger State Police spokesman SP Wasiu Abiodun claimed officers were deployed. Residents contradict that claim.
The killing wasn’t isolated. Attackers killed 42 people total that week—37 in Kasuwan-Daji, 5 in Kaima village. A source told Daily Post Nigeria the terrorists had been hitting villages “for the last one week without any opposition” and “attacked communities at freewill” because “there is no security presence in the area.”
Nigeria’s northwest recorded 2,266 civilian deaths from bandits and insurgents in the first half of 2025, surpassing all of 2024. Some 30,000 bandits operate across the region, using forest sanctuaries like the National Park in Borgu as hideouts.
On December 24-26, the United States launched Tomahawk strikes against Islamic State targets in Sokoto State, 250 miles north. President Trump said the strikes targeted militants “viciously killing, primarily, innocent Christians.” President Tinubu approved the operation and declared a national security emergency. Ten days later, 40 died in Kasuwan-Daji.
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