At least 30 civilians were killed in a brutal attack carried out by unidentified armed men on a village in northwestern Nigeria, once again highlighting the worsening security situation in the West African nation. The assailants stormed the village on Sunday evening, setting fire to hundreds of houses and the local market, while abducting several residents at gunpoint.
According to local sources, the attackers arrived on motorcycles and launched indiscriminate gunfire when villagers were engaged in routine market activities. As residents fled into their homes to escape the violence, the armed men reportedly set the houses ablaze from outside, resulting in several people being trapped and burned alive. Shops and essential commodity stores in the local market were completely destroyed, leaving the area covered in thick smoke.
In addition to the killings, a large number of men, women, and children were forcibly taken into nearby forest areas. Kidnappings for ransom have become increasingly common in Nigeria’s northwestern region, though the exact number of abducted villagers in this incident has not yet been confirmed.
Residents have expressed strong anger over the lack of police presence and security in the area, accusing the government of failing to protect civilians despite repeated attacks. Security forces arrived at the scene after the incident and launched search operations, but the attackers had already fled into dense forests with the abducted victims. The injured were shifted to nearby hospitals, and officials warned that the death toll could rise further. The latest attack has once again drawn international attention to Nigeria’s ongoing security crisis, which has claimed thousands of lives in recent years.