Dozens of Muslims were killed in a shooting attack on two villages in Kwara state after refusing to join jihadists, according to the state's governor. Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq stated that 75 local Muslims were massacred in the attack, while a state lawmaker reported that 78 people had been buried so far, with the death toll possibly rising to 170. A Red Cross official placed the figure at 162, highlighting the uncertainty surrounding the final count.
Saidu Baba Ahmed, a member of the Kwara state house of assembly, said 38 people were abducted in the attack, with others fleeing and shops and homes set alight. The Kwara attack began after 17:00 local time and lasted three to four hours, according to local resident Abdulla Umar Usman. Ahmed noted that Boko Haram activity had been gradually increasing in Kwara, and the attack was triggered by the community's rejection of a strict interpretation of Islam.
The state governor suggested the assault was a result of recent counter-terrorism operations in the region, indicating potential retaliatory motives. Elsewhere, Amnesty International reported that 21 people were killed in an attack on Doma village in Katsina state on Tuesday. Research from multiple sources indicated that 17 people were killed in attacks in Borno state on the same day by suspected Boko Haram militants, underscoring the widespread nature of the violence.
These incidents contribute to a broader pattern of jihadist aggression that has plagued Nigeria for years. Jihadist groups in Nigeria's northeast killed tens of thousands of Nigerians from 2016 to 2025, according to research from seven sources. Nigeria's military reported that the Islamic State-aligned Lakurawa rebel group became more active on the Nigerian side of the border with Niger after the 2023 Niger coup, suggesting regional spillover effects.
In November 2025, research indicated that 25 schoolgirls were abducted from a Catholic school in Kebbi state and 303 schoolchildren and 12 teachers were kidnapped at another Catholic school in Niger state, highlighting the targeting of educational institutions. Early on 26 December 2025, the US conducted airstrikes against Islamic State militants in northwest Nigeria, killing 'multiple' militants, according to US officials. The strikes were approved by and in coordination with the Nigerian government, the US said.
AFRICOM stated the strikes focused on targets in Sokoto State, but accounts of the weapons used vary. Research from seven sources said the strikes were conducted by the USS Paul Ignatius using Tomahawk missiles from the Gulf of Guinea, while Nigerian information minister Mohammed Idris Malagi claimed the operation took place on 26 December between 00:12 and 01:30 WAT, targeting two IS sites in the Bauni forest in Tangaza with 16 GPS-guided munitions fired using MQ-9 Reaper drones. A US defense official told The New York Times the strikes involved over a dozen Tomahawk missiles targeting two IS camps.
Malagi said debris from munitions mistakenly hit Jabo and Offa, but caused no civilian casualties. Isa Salihu Bashir, chairman of Tangaza, reported strikes hit Lakurawa camps, killing many fighters and forcing others to flee. Research indicated at least four missile warheads failed to explode and fell short of their targets, landing in Offa, Zugurma, and Jabo.
In Offa, about five structures were destroyed, with some injuries but no deaths, according to former state official Tajudeen Alabi. Hundreds of bodies remain strewn in the bush in Nigeria from an Islamic extremist attack that Amnesty International described as the deadliest massacre in Boko Haram's history, based on research from multiple sources. Fighting continued on Friday around Baga, where insurgents seized a key military base on 3 January and attacked again on Wednesday, research showed.
A government spokesman said security forces have responded rapidly, deploying significant military assets and conducting air strikes against militant targets. District head Baba Abba Hassan stated most victims in Baga are children, women, and elderly people who could not run fast enough. com, Muhammad Abba Gava described the human carnage in Baga as enormous, with civilian fighters giving up on trying to count all the bodies.
The human carnage in Baga was enormous.
Amnesty International reported there are accounts the town of Baga was razed and as many as 2,000 people killed. The previous bloodiest day in the uprising involved soldiers gunning down unarmed detainees freed in a 14 March 2014 attack on Giwa military barracks, with satellite imagery indicating more than 600 people were killed, according to Amnesty International. 5 million people have been displaced by the violence.
The five-year insurgency killed more than 10,000 people last year alone, the Washington-based Council on Foreign Relations reported. The nature of US military involvement in Nigeria presents contradictions, with a US defence official saying drones had been deployed alongside troops at Nigeria's request to collect intelligence, with US partners in a strictly non-combat role. Major General Samaila Uba confirmed the US was operating assets from Bauchi airfield in northeast Nigeria, adding the timeline for the US deployment in Nigeria would be determined in agreement by both sides.
However, research indicated the US carried out airstrikes in the northwest on Christmas Day, saying it was aimed at stopping the targeting of Christians in the region, highlighting ambiguity in US engagement. Locals and experts emphasized that Nigerians of all faiths are targets of violence, according to research from seven sources. Nigeria's government and experts have rejected claims of a concerted anti-Christian campaign, saying it oversimplifies a complex crisis, research showed.
Suicide bombers launched an assault on Maiduguri on 16 March, killing at least 23 people and wounding more than 100, based on research. Major General Samaila Uba stated both Boko Haram militants and ISWAP remain a persistent threat, adapting their tactics over time. Nigeria's military reported killing 35 jihadists in air strikes near its north-eastern border with Cameroon.
An Amnesty International report indicated at least 10,217 people have been killed since President Bola Tinubu took office two years ago. The army reported killing nearly 600 militants in eight months in the north-east region. The Institute for Security Studies think-tank noted jihadists are using modified commercial drones to strike at army bases.
The military carried air strikes on 'bandits' in north-western Katsina state, according to military sources. At least 200 people are feared dead after Nigerian military jets struck a village market while pursuing Islamist militants in northeast Nigeria, according to a councillor and residents. Nigeria's Air Force said it had killed Boko Haram militants in the Jilli axis in Borno state, but did not mention hitting a market.
Research indicated the strike occurred in a village in Yobe on the border with Borno. Lawan Zanna Nur Geidam said those injured were being taken to hospitals in Yobe and Borno. Three other residents and an official from an international humanitarian agency confirmed the strike and likely death toll, research showed.
The Yobe State Emergency Management Agency said it had received preliminary reports of an incident at Jilli Market resulting in casualties. Suicide bombers killed more than 60 people at a mosque and a market in northeast Nigeria on Tuesday, according to research from multiple sources. A joint assessment found 26 people were killed and 56 injured, 11 critically, Imam Garki from NEMA reported.
A medical source at Mubi General Hospital said they had received 37 bodies. Rescue worker Sani Kakale said he counted 42 dead and 68 injured. In Katsina state, a child died during rescue efforts, according to Katsina State Commissioner for Internal Security Nasir Mua'zu.
Officials reported an attack in Unguwan Mantau in Katsina led to the killing of at least 50 people and the abduction of about 60 others. More than 35,000 people have been killed and two million displaced in the conflict, the UN reported. Research from two sources indicated the US State Department approved the sale of weapons worth $346m to Nigeria to help quell unrest.