Armed bandits carried out a brazen attack on communities in Agwara Local Government Area of Niger State in the early hours of Sunday, February 1, 2026, setting ablaze a divisional police station and a church building while abducting at least five residents.
According to police sources, the assailants invaded the Agwara community around 3:40 a.m., engaging tactical police teams in a fierce gun battle before overpowering them. The attackers reportedly used explosives to set the police station on fire, destroying the facility.
The gunmen then proceeded to the United Missionary Church of Africa (UMC) in the area, where they set part of the building ablaze. From there, they moved to nearby villages, including Sokonba, a border community with Kabe looting foodstuffs and other valuables along the way.
An elderly woman was killed in Kabe town during the raid, and five other residents were kidnapped before the bandits retreated into nearby forest reserves.
The Niger State Police Command, through its Public Relations Officer, SP Wasiu Abiodun, confirmed the incident, stating that security agencies are actively monitoring the situation and working to rescue the abducted victims. Identities of those kidnapped have not yet been released, and investigations are ongoing.
Reacting to the incident, the Catholic Bishop of Kontagora Diocese and Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in Niger State, Most Rev. Bulus Yohanna, appealed to the Federal Government, the Nigerian Army, and relevant security agencies to immediately establish a permanent military formation in Agwara to curb the recurring attacks in the area.
This latest assault comes amid a persistent wave of banditry in Niger State, particularly in rural and border areas like Borgu and Agwara, where armed groups frequently launch raids from forest hideouts.
Recent operations by the military, including a tactical ambush along the Kontagora axis that neutralized several bandits and recovered motorcycles, highlight ongoing efforts to counter the threat.
Local residents have expressed growing fear over the repeated attacks, which have disrupted daily life and raised concerns about the vulnerability of isolated communities.
Reacting to the incident , Murtala Dantoro, son of the late Emir of Borgu, Haliru Dantoro, lamented that repeated terrorist attacks had turned once-peaceful communities into zones of fear and uncertainty.
He said, “Innocent lives are being lost, farmers have abandoned their farmlands, economic activities have paralyzed, and families are forced to flee their ancestry homes in search of safety.”
According to Dantoro, the prevailing security vacuum has emboldened criminals who now operate with little or no resistance, thereby worsening the humanitarian and economic situation in the affected communities.
Authorities have urged calm while assuring that joint security teams are intensifying patrols and pursuit operations to apprehend the perpetrators and secure the release of the captives.
The incident underscores the broader security challenges facing parts of northern Nigeria, where bandit groups continue to carry out killings, abductions, and destruction despite sustained military interventions.
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