At least 30 people were killed and many others injured after gunmen attacked a crowded market in Nigeria’s northern Niger State, local authorities and witnesses said. Women and children were among the victims, according to local sources.
The attack took place at around 4:30 p.m. local time on Sunday at Kasuwan Daki market in Damo village, Niger State. Police spokesman Wasiu Abiodun said a group of armed assailants arrived at the market on motorcycles and opened fire indiscriminately on traders and shoppers.
“At least 30 people were killed on the spot, while many others sustained gunshot wounds,” Abiodun told Reuters.
The attackers also looted several shops and set parts of the market on fire, further escalating the violence. The police spokesman said the assailants are locally known as “bandits.” He added that several people were abducted during the attack and that security forces have launched operations to rescue the kidnapped victims.
Dauda Sakulle, one of the injured survivors, told Reuters that the gunmen showed no mercy, targeting women and children as well. He alleged that there was no security presence at the market at the time of the attack. Even hours after the assault, local residents were still searching the market area for bodies.
Nigerian President Bola Tinubu expressed deep concern over the incident and ordered the immediate arrest of those responsible. In a statement, he also directed security agencies to intensify efforts to rescue the abducted individuals as quickly as possible.
The president further instructed authorities to strengthen security operations in high-risk areas, particularly forested and remote regions, to prevent similar attacks in the future.
The attack comes amid growing security concerns in Nigeria. Nearly a month earlier, gunmen abducted around 300 students from a Catholic school in central Nigeria. Many of those students have yet to be rescued, raising renewed fears over the country’s deteriorating security situation.
Source: Reuters.