Gunmen killed at least 10 people, including women and children, in an attack on a rural community in Nigeria’s northwestern Katsina State, residents said.
The assault took place on Sunday in Guga, a community in Bakori Local Government Area, where armed men stormed farming settlements, opened fire and set homes ablaze. Eyewitnesses said the attackers also looted livestock before fleeing. One resident, Sale Musa, said the gunmen targeted the settlements of Gidan Sarkin Noma and Gidan Wawu.
Nigeria’s northwest has seen a surge in attacks by armed groups locally known as bandits, who regularly raid villages, abduct residents and destroy property, particularly in areas with a limited security presence.
The latest killings come amid a broader wave of violence across Nigeria. In the northeast, at least 17 police officers were killed on Friday when suspected Islamist militants attacked a military training facility in Buni Yadi, Yobe State.
The officers were undergoing specialised training at the Nigerian Army Special Forces School when militants launched a coordinated assault from multiple directions, according to police spokesman Anthony Okon Placid. Several soldiers were also reported killed, although official figures have not been released.
Nigeria has been battling an Islamist insurgency in the northeast for more than 18 years following the rise of Boko Haram in 2009. The group later split, leading to the emergence of Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), which has intensified attacks on military and security targets.
In response to the ongoing threat, U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) said it carried out additional airstrikes against Islamic State targets in northeastern Nigeria on Sunday in coordination with Nigerian forces. No casualties among U.S. or Nigerian troops were reported.
In a separate operation in the Lake Chad Basin, Nigerian and U.S. forces killed Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, described by officials as a senior ISWAP commander and one of the group’s top global figures.
The Nigerian government has established specialised training centres and stepped up military operations in an effort to contain the growing threat posed by both bandit groups in the northwest and Islamist militants in the northeast.
Despite these efforts, continuing attacks highlight the persistent security challenges facing the country, with civilians and security personnel regularly targeted across multiple regions.
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