…“The terrorists are still active in the area and continue to target travellers heading toward Ilorin,” a source said.
KWARA, NIGERIA- The iNews Times | Barely two days after terrorists killed more than 40 people in Agwara and Borgu Local Government Areas of Niger State, suspected terrorists struck again, attacking the busy Isanlu–Isin–Omu Aran highway in Kwara State in the early hours of yesterday and abducting at least four travellers.
The Kwara attack occurred the same day armed men assaulted a Nigeria Police Border Patrol outpost at New Kalli village in Borgu, Niger State. The renewed violence has triggered fear and displacement, with residents of several communities in Agwara and Borgu fleeing their ancestral homes amid reports of another imminent attack by terrorists.
According to sources, the attackers ambushed motorists along the Kwara highway, a major route linking Kwara South to Ilorin, forcing vehicles to stop before abducting passengers and taking them to unknown locations. “The terrorists are still active in the area and continue to target travellers heading toward Ilorin,” a source said. As of press time, the Kwara State Police Command had yet to issue an official statement on the incident.
In recent months, Kwara State has recorded a spike in insecurity, including the November 18, 2025 attack on a Christ Apostolic Church in Eruku, where three worshippers were killed and 38 people abducted during a midweek service.
In Niger State, bandits also attacked a police border patrol post at Kale village in Borgu LGA around 10:30 p.m. on January 4, 2026. Although the attackers were repelled after a gun battle, the outpost was set ablaze during the exchange. No casualties were reported, but farm produce and officers’ belongings were destroyed. Security reinforcement has since been deployed, according to police spokesperson Wasiu Abiodun.
Meanwhile, fear has gripped communities such as Papiri, Kwana and Tugan Salama, where residents say there is little to no security presence. Clergy and parishioners of the Catholic Diocese of Kontagora have begun relocating, citing intelligence reports of another planned attack. Villagers said terrorists often emerge from the Borgu Game Reserve and move through surrounding settlements to launch assaults.
Reacting to the Niger killings, former Anambra State governor and 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, condemned the attacks and urged the Federal Government to halt what he described as the growing normalisation of mass killings across Nigeria. He called for a coordinated and decisive national response to worsening insecurity.
Similarly, APC National Chairman, Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, described the attacks in Agwara and Borgu as barbaric and unacceptable, assuring residents of Niger State of the party’s support. He reaffirmed the APC’s backing of President Bola Tinubu’s efforts to eliminate terrorism and banditry, stressing that criminal groups would not be allowed to undermine Nigeria’s peace and unity.
