Residents of Kasuwan Daji awoke Sunday morning, preparing for burials after armed men
attacked the town’s weekly market, killing more than 50 people, including a pastor who was targeted and killed while attempting to escape.
Among those killed was Reverend Ishaya Bamayi, a pastor serving in Kwana District. According to eyewitnesses, Bamayi went to Kasuwan Daji market on Saturday afternoon when the attackers stormed the area. Witnesses said he fled with other civilians when gunfire erupted, but the assailants pursued him after identifying him as a Christian leader and killed him.
Bamayi is survived by his wife, who, residents said, collapsed after receiving news of his death and remains ill, and their five children.
The attack occurred in broad daylight at the busy rural market, which draws traders and farmers from surrounding villages. Survivors said the gunmen arrived in groups on motorcycles, opening fire indiscriminately and chasing people through market stalls and nearby farmlands. Several witnesses reported seeing people shot at close range, while others were abducted and forced onto motorcycles.
“They entered shooting and shouting,” said a trader who escaped through nearby bushes. “People were running in all directions. Those who fell were shot. Others were taken away.”
Residents and security sources said shops and food vendors were looted and set on fire during the attack. By the time security forces arrived, the assailants had withdrawn along forest routes that stretch across parts of Niger, Kebbi, and Zamfara states.
Kasuwan Daji is located in Borgu Local Government Area, a region bordered by forest corridors and waterways that armed groups have repeatedly used to launch attacks and retreat quickly. Residents said there had been warnings of armed movement in the area days before the market day, but no security personnel were deployed at the market.
A spokesperson for the Niger State Police Command confirmed that armed men attacked the market at about 4:30 p.m. and said a joint security operation involving the police, military, and other agencies had been launched to pursue the attackers and recover abducted victims.
In separate statements, federal and state authorities condemned the attack. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu directed security agencies to intensify operations in the area. At the same time, Niger State Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago said security measures would be reviewed across vulnerable communities in the state.
For residents, the killings added to a pattern of violence that has affected Borgu and other parts of Niger State in recent years, including mass abductions and attacks on villages, schools, and places of commerce. Community members said the market attack has deepened fear among farmers and traders who rely on weekly markets for survival.
Witnesses said the killing of Rev. Bamayi stood out during the chaos.
“He tried to escape like everyone else,” said one resident who asked not to be named for security reasons. “They followed him and did not let him go.”
As night fell, families searched for missing relatives while others gathered the bodies of those killed. On Sunday morning, burials took place as survivors counted the dead and awaited news of those abducted.
