Gunmen kill at least 32 people in northern Nigeria, residents say

Witnesses say the motorcycle riding gunmen attacked three communities in northern Nigeria, killing and abducting dozens.Published On 15 Feb 2026Gunmen on motorcycles have rampaged through three villages in northern Nigeria, killing at least 32 people and abducting several more, according to witnesses and local police.The raids on Saturday in the Borgu area of Niger State came amid a complex security crisis in northern Nigeria, featuring armed groups affiliated with ISIL (ISIS) as well as gangs that abduct people for ransom money.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Gunmen kill nearly 200 people in Nigeria’s Kwara and Katsina stateslist 2 of 4Global conflicts pushing humanitarian law to breaking point, report warnslist 3 of 4Nigerian police confirm gunmen abducted villagers, after initial denialslist 4 of 4Chronicle of a mass kidnapping: The day Nigeria’s Kurmin Wali changedend of listWasiu Abiodun, ‌the Niger State police spokesperson, confirmed the attack in one of the villages.“Suspected bandits invaded Tunga-Makeri village,” he said. “Six persons lost their lives, some houses were also set ablaze, and a yet-to-be ascertained number of persons were abducted.”He added that the assailants had moved on to Konkoso village, while details of other attacks remained unclear.Jeremiah Timothy, a resident of Konkoso, told the Reuters news agency that the attack on ⁠his village began in the early hours with sporadic gunfire.“At least 26 people were killed so far in the village after they set the police station ablaze,” said Timothy, adding that the ⁠attackers entered Konkoso around 6am (05:00 GMT), shooting indiscriminately.He said residents heard military jets flying overhead.Abdullahi Adamu, another resident of Konkoso, said 26 people were killed. “They were operating freely without the presence of any security,” he told The Associated Press news agency.The AFP news agency, citing an unnamed humanitarian source, put the death toll in Konkoso at 38. The source said the victims were shot dead or had their throats slit.