Official and local sources said gunmen killed at least 50 people in three different attacks on northern Nigerian States on Monday, May 19, Anadolu reported. The attacks, which took place on Saturday and Sunday in the States of Katsina, Kebbi, and Benue, brought attention to the region’s escalating security issues. Although no group has taken credit for the attacks, many people think bandits, who have been committing violent, robbery, or kidnapping crimes in northern Nigeria since 2020, were responsible.
In Nigeria, they have grown to be a serious security threat, upsetting livelihoods and communities. Residents of the Gobirawa community in Katsina’s Dutsinma Local Government Area report that 20 bodies were found there on Sunday. Late on Saturday night, bandits were said to have killed them. The attackers stormed the community on motorcycles and shot civilians, according to several eyewitnesses who spoke to Anadolu over the phone. The attack destroyed 20 houses and 15 shops, according to Abdurrahman Abdullahi, a community leader in Gobirawa and the chairman of the Katsina State Coalition of Civil Societies.
Abdullahi told Anadolu, “Many residents have been displaced and are missing, aside from the 20 bodies we were able to recover on Sunday.” State Police Department spokesperson Abubakar Sadiq Aliyu told Anadolu that the attacks had occurred, but he gave no further details. Regarding the attacks, state police have not yet released a statement. In the meantime, 15 more people were killed on Sunday night in the Agatu Local Government Area of Benue State, close to Ogwumogbo and Okpo’okpolo. The majority of them were traders.
A trader named Quadri Muniru told Anadolu late on Sunday night that the victims were ambushed on their way back from the Oweto market. In communities that are at risk, the attacks have rekindled calls for more robust security measures. There is mounting pressure on the Nigerian government to address the region’s escalating insecurity, which has led to thousands of deaths and displacements.