Gunmen suspected to be bandits have killed one person, abducted five others, and set ablaze a church and a police station in Agwara Local Government Area of Niger State, authorities said.
The attackers targeted the United Missionary Church of Africa in Agwara, setting it on fire before moving to Sokonba, a neighbouring village near Kabe, which was recently attacked. Residents said the bandits looted food and other valuables, killed an elderly woman in Kabe, and abducted five residents.
Speaking on Sunday, Murtala Dantoro, son of the late Emir, said repeated attacks had turned the once-peaceful communities into zones of fear.
“Innocent lives are being lost, farmers are abandoning their farmlands, economic activities have collapsed, and families are forced to flee their homes in search of safety,” he said. “These attacks are persistent and escalating. The absence of a permanent and well-equipped military formation in Agwara has left the people vulnerable and exposed.”
Dantoro urged state and federal authorities to intervene before residents are forced out of their homeland. He said the lack of a military presence has emboldened criminals, worsening the humanitarian and economic situation.
The Catholic Bishop of Kontagora Diocese and Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria in Niger State, Most Rev. Bulus Yohanna, also appealed for a permanent military formation in Agwara.
“This is not a luxury; it is a necessity,” he said. “A visible and stationed military presence will deter criminal activities, restore confidence among residents, enable displaced persons to return home, and allow farmers to safely return to their farms. Enough is enough. The people of Agwara deserve peace and protection.”
Yohanna alleged that bandits were gradually turning the Borgu Emirate into a “terrorist enclave,” forcing residents to flee and coercing others into becoming informants.
Reacting to the attack, Niger State Police spokesperson Wasiu Abiodun said officers engaged the attackers, who later used dynamite to set the police station on fire.
“On Feb. 1, 2026, at about 3:40 a.m., armed bandits invaded the Agwara community and attacked the police station, where they were engaged by the tactical team on the ground. The attackers later overpowered the team and used suspected dynamite to set the station on fire,” Abiodun said. “The bandits subsequently moved to the UMC church, burnt part of the building, and abducted about five persons whose identities are yet to be ascertained. Monitoring continues.”
Niger State, in north-central Nigeria, has recently experienced a surge in banditry and violent attacks by armed criminal groups.
