Amnesty International has condemned a series of deadly attacks across Niger, Plateau and Kaduna states that have left at least 41 people dead, accusing Nigerian authorities of failing to protect rural communities from escalating violence.
In a statement issued on Sunday, the rights group said at least 30 people were killed and many others abducted when gunmen attacked Kasuwan Daji in Kabe District, Borgu Local Government Area of Niger State on Saturday, 3 January 2026. According to Amnesty International, the assailants also set the village market ablaze and looted food items and other valuables during the raid.
The organisation described the attack as a further indication of what it termed the “utter failure” of the authorities to safeguard lives and property.
The Niger incident followed closely on another attack in Plateau State, where gunmen reportedly stormed Bong village in Qua’an-Pan Local Government Area, killing at least seven people. Amnesty International said the attackers carried out house-to-house searches before killing residents.
On the same day, gunmen also attacked Sabon Kaura community in Agunu Ward of Kachia Local Government Area, Kaduna State, killing four members of the same family. The group said the incident formed part of a wider escalation of violence against rural communities in southern Kaduna.
Amnesty International noted that thousands of people have been killed in northern Nigeria since 2020, warning that rural populations have increasingly been left at the mercy of armed groups.
The organisation criticised repeated assurances by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu that security agencies have been tasked to end the killings, arguing that conditions on the ground show little improvement.
It further faulted the consistent failure to bring suspected perpetrators to justice, citing testimonies from affected villagers who said they felt abandoned by the government.
Amnesty International stressed that the Nigerian government has a legal obligation to protect its citizens, adding that the rising death toll in the north highlights what it described as a grave failure to meet that responsibility.
