Dozens killed in jihadist attacks across seven Nigerian villages

Thursday 19 February 2026 - 18:30

By: Sahili Aya

Dozens killed in jihadist attacks across seven Nigerian villages

Dozens of people were killed on Wednesday when jihadists from the Lakurawa group attacked seven villages in Nigeria’s Kebbi State, according to local police and a confidential security report obtained by AFP.

The attacks targeted the villages of Mamunu, Awasaka, Tungan Tsoho, Makangara, Kanzo, Gorun Naidal, and Dan Mai Ago in the Arewa administrative area. Police spokesperson Bashir Usman reported that dozens of civilians were killed as residents tried to resist the assailants. The security report cited over 30 civilian deaths in five of the affected villages.

Regional insecurity and response

Witnesses described assailants killing up to eight people in individual villages and stealing livestock. Security forces—including police, military units, and local militias—were immediately mobilized, and coordinated patrols are ongoing to apprehend the perpetrators. Authorities have urged residents to remain calm, avoid spreading unverified information, and cooperate with security forces.

Kebbi State, bordering Niger, faces dual insecurity: violence from jihadist groups such as Lakurawa, active in neighboring countries, and attacks by criminal gangs, locally called “bandits,” often involving mass kidnappings for ransom. The emergence of Lakurawa in northwestern Nigeria has heightened regional violence, prompting local governments to recruit additional self-defense militias. Some analysts have linked Lakurawa to the Islamic State in the Sahel, although this remains debated.

Since 2009, jihadist insurgencies led by Boko Haram and the rival ISWAP faction have caused over 40,000 deaths and displaced around two million people in Nigeria’s northeast, according to the UN. Recent spikes in attacks and kidnappings led President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to declare a security emergency in November 2025 and increase police and military personnel in affected regions.