The airstrike occurred near the Borno-Yobe border, a region where the market is often used by Boko Haram jihadis to buy food supplies, according to multiple reports. At least 23 people injured in the strike were receiving treatment at Geidam General Hospital in Yobe, a worker at the hospital said. The Nigerian military, however, asserted it conducted a successful strike on a terrorist enclave and logistics hub, killing scores of jihadis as they rode on motorcycles. The Yobe State Government stated a military strike was targeting a Boko Haram stronghold and some people at the Jilli weekly market were affected, while the Yobe State Emergency Management Agency confirmed an incident resulting in casualties affecting some marketers and said response teams were dispatched. Abdulmumin Bulama, a member of a civilian security group, said there was intelligence that Boko Haram terrorists had gathered near the market and were planning an attack on nearby communities.
This violence unfolds against a backdrop of persistent jihadist activity in northeastern Nigeria, where groups with links to al-Qaeda and ISIS are behind the violence, according to the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED). Islamic State claimed it killed 35 fighters linked to Al-Qaeda in western Niger, highlighting regional connections. The U.S. embassy announced that all non-essential personnel may leave Nigeria due to the security situation, reflecting international concern.
Armed attacks have also ravaged villages, displacing civilians. Armed persons shot both Christians and Muslims in about ten villages in the north-central region, witnesses described. Gunmen attacked two villages in the north-central region, killing at least 20 people, residents reported. At least 500 people have fled the villages and sought shelter in larger communities, an official said.
Casualty reports from recent attacks are often conflicting, with perpetrators frequently unknown. Local police said only three people were killed in attacks in Bagna and Erena villages, contradicting other accounts. At least 60 people have been killed in attacks in northwestern Nigeria, local sources reported, while a clergyman in Kebbi state said he can confirm that 24 people had been killed, but reports indicate over 40 have lost their lives. No one has claimed responsibility for these acts, but police suspect the local jihadist group Mahmuda.
High-profile assaults have targeted military and security forces. An army general and several soldiers were killed during an attempt to raid a military base in northeastern Nigeria, officials stated. President Bola Tinubu confirmed that a general was killed in the attack. In a separate incident in Kebbi, armed militants ambushed Nigerian security forces, fatally shooting nine soldiers, a police officer, and one resident, authorities reported. Several soldiers were injured in the attack in the village of Giron Masa, according to Yahaya Sarki.
Church attacks during the Easter period have added to the toll. The army reported that 31 civilians held hostage following a Sunday morning church attack in north-west Nigeria have been rescued. Security forces said five people were killed as gunmen targeted Easter celebrations at a church in Ariko, Kaduna state, though a local church official earlier put the number of dead at seven. Three separate attacks on different places in Nigeria on Palm Sunday resulted in at least 53 dead persons, according to the International Christian Concern (ICC).
Mass kidnappings continue to target vulnerable populations, particularly women and children. Research indicates armed extremist groups, including Boko Haram and ISWAP, as well as local bandits, are implicated in many child abduction cases, often using kidnappings to generate ransom or to recruit children. In 2024 alone at least 580 civilians, primarily women and girls, were kidnapped across several states, according to research. Local media report that suspected militants abducted more than 100 women and children during an attack on Ngoshe community in Borno State.
The United Nations has condemned these patterns. The UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) found Nigeria responsible for grave and systematic violations of women and girls’ rights amid ongoing mass abductions. CEDAW cited the Nigerian government’s repeated failure to prevent attacks on schools or protect victims.
The legacy of the 2014 Chibok kidnapping remains a poignant symbol of this crisis. Research indicates 276 mostly Christian, with some Muslim, schoolgirls aged from 16 to 18 were kidnapped by Boko Haram from the Government Girls Secondary School in Chibok in Borno State on the night of 14–15 April 2014. After the kidnapping, 57 schoolgirls immediately escaped by jumping from the trucks, while others have been rescued by the Nigerian Armed Forces on various occasions. Amina Ali, one of the missing girls, was found in May 2016. On 14 April 2021, seven years after the initial kidnapping, over 100 of the Chibok girls remained missing. Boko Haram became popular in 2014 after they abducted more than 200 schoolgirls from Chibok, research notes.
Historical scale underscores the severity: Amnesty International estimated in 2015 that at least 2,000 women and girls had been abducted by Boko Haram since 2014, many of whom had been forced into sexual slavery.
Recent attacks during Ramadan have further strained communities. Police in Nigeria confirmed that armed people attacked Ngoshe community in Borno State, killing and abducting people, but did not confirm the exact number of casualties. Local media reports say the attackers also targeted a nearby military base and an internally displaced persons camp, killing many soldiers and civilians, including the village chief, cleric, and some community elders. Ngoshe is a community with many Muslims, and the attack happened at night when many people were breaking their Ramadan fast, reports indicate.
Military operations against criminal groups in the northwest show some action. Nigeria's army says at least 65 people within criminal groups have been killed in an operation in Zamfara state. Police have confirmed kidnappings in Zamfara, but not given any number, while local information speaks of about 150 people being taken away by armed gangs.
Research suggests systematic violence by armed groups may amount to crimes against humanity, noting armed bandit groups have perpetrated murder, rape, kidnapping, organized cattle-rustling and plunder.
The implications point to an ongoing security crisis with unclear military effectiveness and unresolved abductions. The exact number of casualties in the Ngoshe attack remains unknown, as police confirmed the attack but did not provide figures, and reports vary widely. The identity and motives of perpetrators behind village shootings are also unclear, with no group claiming responsibility and police only suspecting a local jihadist group. The total number of people kidnapped in recent attacks is contested, with conflicting reports from local sources, media, and official statements, and police often not confirming numbers. The effectiveness of military operations against insurgent groups is debated, as accounts differ between official statements and independent reports, and details on ongoing pursuits are unclear. The current status of remaining missing Chibok girls and other abducted individuals is uncertain, with rescue efforts ongoing but many unaccounted for.