Dozens of civilians were reportedly killed or kidnapped during an attack on two villages in central Nigeria’s Niger state, survivors and lawmakers told AFP on Saturday.
The attackers struck during Friday prayers in Dikera village in the Borgu local government area, near Nigeria’s border with Benin.
Survivor Jibril Ahmad said armed fighters from the Lakurawa group attacked the village shortly after residents finished their prayers.
“Soon after finishing the normal Friday prayer, the armed group of Lakurawa, in their hundreds, wielding guns, knives and machetes, began to attack us,” Ahmad said.
He said the attackers killed some residents and accused them of failing to follow what the militants considered the true teachings of Islam.
The nearby village of Binzi also came under attack, according to Ahmad and federal lawmaker Jafaru Mohammed.
Jihadist Groups Clash During Attack
The violence took an unexpected turn when fighters from another jihadist group, known as Mahmuda, confronted the Lakurawa militants.
Ahmad said the fighting between the two groups gave some residents an opportunity to escape.
“Many of us have escaped, while they were busy trying to confront” the Mahmuda fighters, he said.
Mohammed said some members of Mahmuda opposed Lakurawa’s ideology and decided to fight the group after learning about the attack.
However, the clash did not prevent heavy casualties.
Mohammed said many civilians had been killed and others had been kidnapped and taken into surrounding bushland.
Neither the survivor nor the lawmaker could provide a confirmed death or kidnapping toll on Saturday morning.
Police in Niger state confirmed that they knew about the reported kidnappings. However, authorities said they had not received confirmed reports of deaths.
Nigeria Faces Expanding Militant Threat
Nigeria has battled jihadist violence for nearly two decades.
The conflict has been concentrated mainly in the northeast, where groups including Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province remain active.
However, militant activity has increasingly spread into other parts of the country.
The latest attack occurred near Nigeria’s western border with Benin, an area that has experienced growing activity from local armed groups and militants operating across the Sahel.
Researchers have linked Lakurawa to Islamic State Sahel Province, although the group remains relatively obscure.
The attack also demonstrates how Nigeria’s security problems have become increasingly complex, with ideological militants operating alongside criminal gangs and other armed groups.
Kidnapping Has Become a Lucrative Business
Kidnapping has become a major source of income for armed groups across Nigeria.
Criminal gangs operating in the northwest and central regions frequently raid villages, abduct residents and demand ransom payments.
Some groups also force farmers and miners to pay money in exchange for operating in areas under their control.
The country has experienced mass abductions for years.
One of the most notorious cases occurred in 2014, when Boko Haram kidnapped hundreds of schoolgirls from Chibok in northeastern Nigeria.
While jihadist violence has declined from its peak roughly a decade ago, Nigerian security forces continue to face several conflicts at the same time.
Multiple Conflicts Stretch Security Forces
Northwestern and central Nigeria have seen increased activity from armed groups.
These regions also face attacks from so-called bandit gangs that often have financial rather than ideological motives.
The Nigerian government said last August that security forces had dismantled Mahmuda and another militant group, Ansaru, after arresting their leaders.
Despite that claim, armed groups continue to operate in parts of the country.
The United States military also carried out strikes against jihadist targets in northwestern Nigeria late last year.
Meanwhile, Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province continue to pose a major threat in the northeast.
Nigeria also faces conflicts unrelated to jihadism.
Farmers and herders frequently clash over land and resources in central areas. In the southeast, a separatist conflict remains another challenge for security forces.
Ransom Payments Fuel Kidnapping Crisis
Kidnapping has developed into a multimillion-dollar industry in Nigeria.
Small criminal gangs and larger militant networks both use abductions to generate revenue.
Nigerian law prohibits ransom payments, but families of victims and even government authorities have faced accusations of paying kidnappers to secure the release of hostages.
The latest attack in Niger state highlights the continuing danger faced by civilians in parts of Nigeria.
It also shows how rival militant groups can compete for influence while ordinary residents remain caught in the middle of the violence.
