Abuja, April 10:
At least 20 people were reportedly killed in attacks on two villages, Bagna and Erena, in Nigeria’s Shiroro area of Niger state, north-central Nigeria, early Tuesday. Residents said armed men on motorbikes carried out a surprise assault in the early hours, shooting and raiding homes, which forced many villagers to flee to neighbouring communities.
While locals claimed over 20 fatalities and some missing, Niger state police reported three deaths, including two vigilante members and a driver from the joint security team, with several others injured. Shiroro is roughly 250 kilometres from the capital, Abuja.
The region faces a persistent security crisis, including a decade-long insurgency, violent clashes between mostly Muslim Fulani herders and predominantly Christian farming communities over land and grazing, and the activities of criminal gangs involved in kidnappings and attacks.
These ongoing conflicts have resulted in widespread death, displacement, and insecurity, contributing to the broader instability in Nigeria’s northern regions, according to UN reports.