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Following the United States (US)-led airstrikes against Islamic State militants in Sokoto State, the dare-devil terrorists struck recently in Kwara, Katsina and Kaduna states, kidnapping several victims, including a photo journalist. In Kwara State, seven persons were abducted, in Ifelodun Local Government Area following a failed attempt to kidnap the traditional ruler of Adanla community, Oba David Oyerinola and his wife. Their abductors later demanded a ransom of N300 million.
Elsewhere, the criminals struck at Unguwar Barau, Gidan Dan Mai-gizo, and Gidan Hazo communities, all located in Na’alma Ward in Malumfashi Local Government Area of Katsina State. The latest assaults came after the Katsina Mosque attack of August 19, 2025, in which the attackers opened fire on worshippers and killed at least 32 people at Unguwar Mantau community in Malumfashi Local Government Area of the state.
In Danhonu 11 community, Millenium City, in Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State, a veteran photo journalist, Malam Umar Usman Iyale, was abducted by terrorists. This is the second time of the dastardly incident since the July 2024 abduction of two journalists from the same community — the current Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Kaduna State council, AbdulGafar Alabelewe of The Nation newspaper, and AbdulRaheem Aodu of Blueprint newspaper, who were kidnapped alongside members of their families.
On January 6, suspected armed herders invaded Udeku Maav-Ya community, Mbakyol Council Ward, Turan District of Kwande Local Government Area of Benue State and killed five farmers. The attack occurred while residents were harvesting yams on their farmlands. The same Tuesday, five personnel of National Park Service office at Oloka Village in the Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State were killed by gunmen. Reports indicate that the assailants stormed the community at about 11:30pm and mowed the officers in their office.
The attacks came barely a week after terrorists killed over 42 persons in Niger State. The gory incident, which occurred in Agwara and Borgu Local Government Areas of the state, came less than one month after over 300 pupils, students and teachers of St. Mary’s Catholic School, Papiri, were abducted. It also took place on the heels of the December 2025 raids in which bandits launched attacks across the North, abducting monarchs, worshippers, a bride, students and travellers in coordinated wave of violence that resulted to least 490 captives. The exercise which cut across Sokoto, Kogi, Kwara, Niger and Borno states, as well as the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), disrupted rural communities and forced residents to flee their homes.
We condemn the renewed terror attacks in some parts of the country and urge the federal government to check the menace aggressively. The escalating terror attacks must be curbed. Apart from loss of lives and property, the intensified attacks will vitiate government’s development efforts and hamper agriculture, food security, tourism and investments.
For instance, a 2025 report by Agramondis Research and Consulting, a Nigerian Research Firm, indicated that Nigeria’s worsening insecurity accounted for about €4.1billion of economic loss and a corresponding 40 per cent of deaths in livestock, especially cattle, sheep, and goats, across the country. Also, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) recently warned that about 34.7 million Nigerians could face severe food insecurity from June to August 2026 unless timely and coordinated interventions are implemented.
Similarly, a report by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) showed that no fewer than 614,937 Nigerians were killed and 2,235,954 others kidnapped across the country between May 2023 and April 2024. The report also revealed that the 2.2 million Nigerians were kidnapped across the country while N2.2 trillion was paid as ransom, an average amount of N2.7 million per incident.
A zone-by-zone analysis of the report showed that the North-West had the highest murder cases (206,030), followed by the North-East (188,992); while the least was recorded in the South-West (15,693). In the same vein, the SBM Intelligence indicated that Nigerians paid N1.048 billion as ransom to kidnappers between July 2023 and June 2024. It added that 7,568 people were kidnapped across the country within the period.
The war against the terrorists must be intensified in all fronts with relentless vigour until they are defeated. Let the federal government deal decisively with the sponsors of terror activities in the country. The government should build on the gains of the recent Nigeria/US joint attacks on terrorists in Sokoto State and hit them harder.
