President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has ordered an immediate manhunt for the terrorists responsible for a series of deadly attacks on communities in Niger State that left more than 40 people dead and several others abducted.

In a statement personally signed on Sunday, the President said he had directed the Minister of Defence, the Chief of Defence Staff, the Service Chiefs, the Inspector-General of Police, and the Director-General of the Department of State Services to track down the perpetrators of the attack on Kasuwan Daji and ensure they are brought to justice.

President Tinubu said the attackers had crossed a red line and must face the full weight of the law. He stressed that no individual or group involved in the violence, including those who aid or abet them, would be spared.

He further ordered the immediate rescue of all abducted victims and directed security agencies to intensify operations around vulnerable communities, particularly those located near forests and ungoverned spaces.

Calling for national unity, the President urged Nigerians to stand together against violence and lawlessness, describing the attackers as enemies of peace who must not be allowed any sanctuary. He also prayed for the repose of the souls of those killed in the attacks.

The presidential directive followed coordinated assaults by suspected bandits on Saturday afternoon in Agwara and Borgu local government areas of Niger State.

According to the Niger State Police Command, the attackers are believed to have emerged from the National Park forest along Kabe District before storming Kasuwan Daji in Demo Village through Kabe.

Police spokesman Wasiu Abiodun said the attack began at about 4:30 p.m. and lasted for several hours.

He explained that the assailants invaded Kasuwan Daji, killing more than 30 people, setting the market ablaze, looting shops, and carting away food items. He added that the remoteness of the area limited immediate resistance, although security forces were later deployed to the scene.

Abiodun said a joint security team had since visited the affected communities and that efforts were ongoing to rescue those abducted, assuring that further updates would be provided as operations continue.

While police estimates placed the death toll at over 30, residents and community leaders said the number of casualties was significantly higher.

The Director of Communications of the Catholic Diocese of Kontagora, Reverend Father Stephen Kabirat, said no fewer than 40 people were killed during the raid, with several others taken into captivity.

He disclosed that the parish priest narrowly escaped abduction when the attackers visited the Mission House days earlier, destroying religious items and making away with two motorcycles and cash running into hundreds of thousands of naira. He added that women and children were among those abducted.

A community source in Agwara Local Government Area, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the violence extended beyond Kasuwan Daji to other communities in Agwara and Borgu.

According to the source, at least 42 people were killed across the affected areas, while an unconfirmed number of residents, including children, were abducted. The source also alleged that some students of St. Mary’s Private Catholic Primary and Secondary Schools in Papiri were among those taken.

The source said fear had gripped the region, forcing residents to flee to neighbouring villages and across the river for safety, leaving several communities largely deserted.

The attacks are the latest in a series of violent incidents in the area. In November 2025, terrorists reportedly raided St. Mary’s Catholic Primary and Secondary School in Papiri, abducting 315 pupils, students, and teachers. They were later released after about one month following federal government intervention.

Meanwhile, Ogun State Governor and Chairman of the Southern Governors’ Forum, Dapo Abiodun, condemned the killings, describing them as senseless, callous, and a crime against humanity.

In a statement issued on Sunday in Abeokuta, Abiodun expressed condolences to Niger State Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago and the people of the state, lamenting what he described as a stain on the nation’s conscience.

He urged security agencies to deploy all available resources to track down and prosecute the perpetrators, insisting that the attackers must be decisively neutralised to prevent further bloodshed.

The Ogun State governor also prayed for the repose of the souls of the victims and for strength and comfort for their families during the period of mourning.