Sultan-Led Group Condemns Kasuwar Daji Massacre

Jama’atu Nasril Islam has condemned the killing of over 30 persons during a violent attack on Kasuwar Daji market in Borgu Local Government Area of Niger State, describing the incident as one too many in Nigeria’s worsening insecurity.

The Islamic organisation, led by the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, said the massacre highlighted the continued vulnerability of innocent Nigerians to armed criminal attacks.

In a statement issued in Kaduna on Friday by its Secretary-General, Prof. Khalid Abubakar-Aliyu, JNI expressed sympathy with the Niger State Government and families of the victims, noting that the scale of the killings had further heightened fear across the country.

“For how long shall innocent, armless Nigerians continue to suffer cruel and unjustified termination of their lives?” the group asked, describing the Kasuwar Daji incident as a tragic reminder of the nation’s security challenges.

JNI said the attack could have been prevented if authorities had acted on earlier warnings about the movement of criminal elements into the North-Central region.

The organisation recalled that it had previously urged governors in the zone to be on red alert, warning that terrorists and bandits were migrating from the North-East and North-West into forested areas of the region.

“The North-Central states, with mangrove trees and thick forests, should do more than paying lip service to security matters,” the statement said.

According to JNI, the Kasuwar Daji killings, alongside similar attacks in Borno, Katsina, Kebbi, Kwara, Sokoto and Zamfara states, call for serious national introspection, particularly as the 2027 General Elections approach.

The group expressed concern that repeated condemnations had not translated into decisive action, warning that Nigerians were increasingly becoming hopeless amid recurring attacks, kidnappings and schoolchildren abductions.

“We are stunned and deeply concerned over the well-coordinated renewed attacks being witnessed across the country within the last 40 days,” the statement added.

Despite its criticism, JNI commended the Federal Government, especially the Nigerian Air Force and other security agencies, for recent airstrikes targeting terrorists in parts of Niger, Kwara and Zamfara states.

The organisation said the reported killing of several terrorists during the operations showed that sustained military action could make a difference if properly coordinated.

“The tempo should be sustained across board,” JNI said, stressing the need for improved territorial surveillance, deployment of modern technology and effective tracking systems.

It called on the federal government to promptly identify with victims of attacks by visiting affected communities and addressing the nation to calm public anger and prevent reprisals.

JNI also urged the prosecution of officials found negligent in the discharge of their duties, saying accountability would deter others from nonchalance.

The group further called for intensified collaboration among security agencies with a clear timeline to end security threats and to mop up illegal arms in circulation, warning that failure to act could lead to increased self-arming by citizens.

JNI concluded by calling on Muslims to intensify prayers for an end to the violence while offering condolences to families of those killed in Kasuwar Daji and other recent attacks.

“May Allah console the bereaved families, heal the injured, and guide those in authority to rise to their responsibilities,” the statement said.

THE WHISTLER online reports that armed men suspected to be marauding bandits operating from the Kainji Lake National Park have attacked a village market in Kabe District, Borgu Local Government Area of Niger State, setting it ablaze, killing 30 villagers, and abducting scores.

The incident occurred last Saturday at Kasuwan Daji market in Demo village, which the bandits reportedly accessed via Kabe.

The assailants reportedly not only burned the market but also looted food items and other wares, shot at villagers, and abducted many along paths leading to the expansive Kainji Lake National Park forest.ENDS.