Gunmen on motorcycles raided three communities in the Borgu area of Niger State in northern Nigeria, leaving dozens of people dead, according to police and residents. Accounts of the death toll differ, with figures ranging from at least 30 to at least 46 reported across different sources.
Police and local accounts said the attacks hit Tunga-Makeri (also spelled Tungar Makeri), Konkoso, and Pissa (also spelled Pisa), with reports of homes being set on fire and people taken away. Niger State police spokesperson Wasiu Abiodun confirmed the attack on Tunga-Makeri and said a “yet to be ascertained” number of people were abducted, while security teams were sent to the area and rescue efforts were under way.
What police confirmed
Sky News reported that raids began around dawn on Saturday, targeting Tunga-Makeri, Konkoso and Pissa in the Borgu area of Niger State. Abiodun told authorities, according to Sky News and DW, that six people were killed in Tunga-Makeri and that Konkoso was also attacked, though he did not provide further details about that village.
Punch reported a police account that a report was received at about 6am on 14/2/2026, saying suspected bandits invaded Tunga-Makeri at around 3am via Shafachi district in Borgu Local Government Area. Punch also said police confirmed the raid and that a joint security team was deployed to assess the situation and rescue victims, while the police did not comment on reports that a police station was burned.
Death toll varies by source
Sky News reported at least 32 people were killed, citing six deaths in Tunga-Makeri and an account from a resident of Konkoso who said 26 people were killed there. Punch similarly reported six people killed in Tunga-Makeri and quoted an eyewitness describing 26 deaths recorded in the Konkoso attack.
DW reported at least 30 people were killed and noted that many people were reported missing after the raids, raising fears the toll could rise. Africanews, citing a humanitarian source speaking to AFP, reported at least 46 people were killed across the three villages and said the bloodiest attack was in Konkoso, where at least 38 people were killed.
Africanews also reported, citing a Niger State police spokesperson speaking to AFP, that six people were killed in Tungan Makeri, and included a resident account that after Konkoso the attackers went to Pissa, where a police station was set on fire and one person was killed. Sky News reported it was not clear how many people were abducted, while Africanews reported a resident said four women were abducted and that “many people are missing.”
Fires, abductions and damaged buildings
Multiple accounts described arson during the raids, including homes being burned. Punch reported that houses were set ablaze and said multiple buildings were burned, including a police station, though police did not confirm the police-station fire in that report.
Africanews also reported that most homes in Konkoso were burned down, and said bodies were still being recovered, based on information from a humanitarian source. DW said reports cited authorities and residents describing several homes burned during the attacks.
Wider insecurity in northern Nigeria
DW said northern Nigeria has faced mounting insecurity from both jihadists and armed gangs known locally as “bandits,” including kidnappings for ransom. Sky News likewise said killings and kidnappings for ransom in the north have been carried out by Islamic militants and armed gangs.
Africanews said the Borgu local government area borders Kwara State and referenced an earlier attack in Kwara State this month in which more than 160 people were killed. Africanews also said the Kwara–Niger border area includes the Kainji Forest, describing it as a known haven for bandits and jihadists.
Africanews said Nigeria has been dealing with a jihadist insurgency in the northeast for over 16 years, while also facing farmer-herder conflict in the north-central region, separatist violence in the southeast, and kidnappings for ransom in the northwest. The same report said jihadist groups are active in the northwest and west-central regions and that armed gangs “wreak havoc,” including looting villages, killing people and kidnapping residents.
US pressure and security cooperation
DW reported that US President Donald Trump has claimed Christians in Nigeria are being persecuted and victims of a “genocide,” and said Nigerian authorities reject that claim, arguing violence affects both Christians and Muslims. Africanews similarly reported that Trump has claimed Christians are being persecuted and that Abuja and experts have rejected the claim, describing the violence as indiscriminate.
Both DW and Sky News reported that US actions and cooperation have included strikes in December targeting armed groups, and that a US military team/force has been deployed in Nigeria. Africanews reported that the US military coordinated with Nigerian authorities to carry out airstrikes in Sokoto State on December 25, targeting what Washington said were Islamic State jihadists.
