Over 30 Killed in Niger State Market Attack

At least 30 people were killed and several others abducted when gunmen stormed a market in northern Nigeria's Niger State on Saturday, police reported, in an attack that highlighted the region's persistent insecurity.

The assailants targeted Kasuwan Daji market in Demo village, located in the Borgu local government area, around 4:30 p.m. According to Niger State police spokesman Wasiu Abiodun, the gunmen, referred to locally as bandits, arrived on motorcycles and opened fire indiscriminately before burning stalls and looting food items. "Over 30 victims lost their lives during the attack, and some persons were also kidnapped," Abiodun said. "Efforts are ongoing to rescue the kidnapped victims." Police added that a joint security team visited the scene by Sunday morning to assess the damage and begin searches.

Witnesses described a chaotic scene, with the attackers operating for hours into the night without immediate resistance. Dauda Shakulle, a resident wounded while fleeing, said women and children were among those killed. "There has been no presence of security forces since the attacks began. We are currently recovering corpses," Shakulle told reporters. Another witness,...