Local authorities reported that at least 60 people were shot to death in several villages in northern Nigeria during the week, with witness accounts describing armed persons shooting both Christians and Muslims in about ten villages. At least 500 people have fled the villages and sought shelter in larger communities, according to an official source. No one has claimed responsibility for the acts, but police suspect the local jihadist group Mahmuda.
Nigeria is battling a complex security crisis, especially in the north, involving jihadist groups, bandits, and communal violence, as indicated by multiple reports. For many years, Borno State has been the centre of insurgency in Nigeria, experiencing repeated attacks by Boko Haram and fighters from Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), according to research from three sources. A Nigerian military airstrike on Jilli market on the border of Borno and Yobe states killed many civilians, according to survivors and observers.
The Nigerian military said it targeted members of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) jihadist group in the airstrike on Jilli market. Over 200 people died in the airstrike on Jilli market, according to a report. Yobe state officials admitted that civilians were affected in the airstrike on Jilli market.
Local traders denied that Islamist fighters were among them at Jilli market. An army general and several soldiers were killed during an attack on a military base in Benisheikh, Borno State, officials confirmed. President Bola Tinubu confirmed that a general was killed in the attack in Benisheikh.
A night attack on Gari Ya Waye community in Plateau state left at least 20 people dead, according to residents and authorities. Thirty-one civilians held hostage after a church attack in Ariko, Kaduna state, were rescued by the army, the military reported. Five people were killed in the church attack in Ariko, Kaduna state, according to security forces.
Armed militants ambushed Nigerian security forces in Kebbi state, fatally shooting nine soldiers, a police officer, and one resident, authorities stated. Some residents suspected the Islamic State Sahel Province (ISSP) was responsible for the attack in Kebbi state. Gunmen attacked two villages in Niger state, killing at least 20 people, residents reported.
However, Niger state police claimed only three people were killed in the attacks in Niger state. The Nigerian military killed at least 65 bandits in an offensive in Zamfara state, the army said. Around 150 people were abducted by armed gangs in Zamfara state, according to local reports.
Nigerian police arrested 33 gang members in connection with a church attack in Kwara state, the police confirmed. Three separate attacks in Nigeria on Palm Sunday resulted in at least 53 deaths, according to the International Christian Concern (ICC). S.
sent 200 troops and drones to Nigeria to assist in fighting extremists, according to multiple reports. S. launched strikes against IS forces in Nigeria on Dec.
26, as reported by major media sources. Islamic State claimed it killed 35 fighters linked to Al-Qaeda in western Niger, the group stated. Police in Nigeria confirmed an attack on Ngoshe community in Borno State where they killed and abducted people but did not confirm the exact number of casualties.
Suspected militants abducted more than 100 women and children during the attack on Ngoshe community, according to local media. The attackers also targeted a nearby military base and an internally displaced persons camp in the area, where they killed many soldiers and civilians, including the village chief, cleric and some community elders, reports indicated. The attack on Ngoshe community happened at night when many people were breaking their Ramadan fast, as per reports.
S. embassy announced that all non-essential personnel may leave the country due to the security situation, the embassy stated. Jihadist groups with links to al-Qaeda and ISIS are behind the violence, according to Acled.