Saturday’s assault in Kauru district highlights persistent insecurity in the region, and came days after security services rescued all 166 worshippers abducted in attacks by gunmen on two churches elsewhere in Kaduna.

Such attacks have drawn the attention of U.S. President Donald Trump, who has accused Nigeria’s government of failing to protect Christians, a charge Abuja denies. U.S. forces struck what they described as terrorist targets in northwestern Nigeria on December 25.

The Catholic Diocese of Kafanchan named the kidnapped clergyman as Nathaniel Asuwaye, parish priest of Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Karku, and said 10 other people were abducted.

Three residents were killed during the attack, which began at about 3:20 a.m. (0220 GMT), the diocese said in a statement.

A Kaduna police spokesperson confirmed the incident, but said five people had been abducted in total and that the three people killed were members of the security forces.

“Security agents exchanged gunfire with the bandits, killed some of them, and unfortunately two soldiers and a police officer lost their lives,” he said.

Rights group Amnesty International said in a statement on Sunday that Nigeria’s security crisis was “increasingly getting out of hand”. It accused the government of “gross incompetence” and failure to protect civilians as gunmen kill, abduct and terrorise rural communities across several northern states.

A presidency spokesperson could not immediately be reached for comment.

Pope Leo, during his weekly address to the faithful in St. Peter’s Square, expressed solidarity with the victims of recent attacks in Nigeria.

“I hope that the competent authorities will continue to act with determination to ensure the security and protection of every citizen’s life,” Leo said.

The attackers set fire to shops and homes, along with the residence of the traditional leader, forcing the residents of Nuku and Woro to flee, he added.

The death toll is unclear, with Ahmed saying at least 35 people had died, while a Red Cross official told the AFP news agency the figure had gone up to 162.

The attack, one of several across Nigeria in the last 24 hours, comes as the defence minister confirmed to the BBC that a small team of US troops was in the country to help with intelligence and training.

It is the first official acknowledgement from Nigeria of an American troop presence since US President Donald Trump ordered the military in November to prepare for action in Nigeria to tackle Islamist militant groups.

Defence Minister Chrisopher Musa did not provide details on the team’s size, arrival date, location or duration of stay.

His comments follow those made on Tuesday by Gen Dagvin Anderson of US Africa Command (Africom), who said the deployment followed a Nigerian request and was focused on intelligence support.

“Our partnership with Nigeria is a great example of a very willing and capable partner who requested the unique capabilities that only the US can bring,” he said.

Nigeria faces an array of security challenges including criminal gangs – known locally as “bandits” who loot and kidnap for ransom – an Islamist insurgency, clashes over land and separatist unrest.

Kwara police spokesperson Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi told the BBC that the attack on the neighbouring villages of Nuku and Woro began at 17:30 local time on Tuesday – and she blamed suspected bandits.

She added that various security forces had now been deployed to the area but details of casualties were still unclear as were reports that people were missing.

“Reports said that the death toll now stands at 162, as the search for more bodies continues,” a Red Cross official in Kwara, Babaomo Ayodeji, told AFP.

The whereabouts of the traditional king are reportedly unknown.

Ahmed, the local MP, said the attack on Woro came after several smaller attacks in the area in recent days.

“They started shooting sporadically, they burnt shops, at least 35 bodies have been retrieved – more bodies could be retrieved because people ran into the forest with gunshot wounds,” he told BBC Hausa.

“It was complete chaos… Everybody is terrified.”

For years the bandits have mainly targeted those in the north-west of Nigeria – but they have been moving to other parts of the country, like Kwara and Niger states, more recently.

Some jihadists – suspected to be from a Boko Haram splinter faction – have also been active in Kwara, carrying out targeted killings, often riding in on motorcycles and attacking markets and vigilante groups set up to protect villagers.

Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq said Tuesday’s attack was a result of recent counter-terrorism operations in the region.

AbdulRazaq belived the attack was “apparently to distract the security forces who have successfully hunted down several terrorist and kidnapping gangs”, his press secretary Rafiu Ajakaye said in a statement.

Also on Tuesday, in the north-eastern Borno State, 17 people were killed in a series of attacks by suspected Boko Haram militants.

The US and Nigerian forces have conducted joint training programmes and exercises for decades.

But the US military has recently become more involved – launching airstrikes on Christmas Day on two camps run by an Islamist militant group in north-western Nigeria.

Late last year, the White House pressed Nigeria’s government to improve security and strengthen protections for Christian communities.

Trump had previously claimed there was a “Christian genocide” under way in Nigeria – an allegation strongly rejected by Nigeria’s government, which said Muslims, Christians and people of no faith were victims of attacks.

There are more than 250 ethnic groups in Nigeria, which is roughly divided into a mainly Muslim north, a largely Christian south, with intermingling in the middle.

Nigeria’s Foreign Minister Yusuf Tuggar said the Christmas-Day strikes were approved by President Bola Tinubu and involved Nigerian forces.

Since then security co-operation between the two nations has increased – with the US saying last month that it had delivered critical supplies to support Nigeria’s security efforts.

Nigeria’s military then told the BBC the equipment had been purchased earlier to aid counter-insurgency operations.

In recent weeks, Nigerian forces have stepped up operations against armed groups.

On Sunday, the army said it had killed a senior Boko Haram commander and 10 other militants during an operation in Borno state.

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The incident occurred near Walewale township on Tuesday, December 16. The injured, identified as the driver and a passenger, are currently receiving treatment at Walewale Hospital.

The bus, operated by Great Imperial Express and bearing registration number GY 3199-21, is believed to have been targeted in connection with local tensions in the area.

The police have confirmed the attack and are investigating the motive while working to identify the perpetrators.

More details will follow.

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Eyewitnesses reported that four armed men arrived on two motorbikes, fired about 15 rounds of ammunition, and abducted the victim, who was asleep under a shed at his home.

The victim has been identified as Mallam Daouda, a moderately wealthy cattle owner and a respected member of the community.

“It was around 11:40 p.m. when four armed men came, attacked a cow herdsman, and kidnapped him,” said Andrews Mawie Kusan, the Assembly Member for the area. “The man is kindhearted, so everyone is crying and worried.”

Mr. Kusan added that this is the second such incident recorded in the area within the last three months. A similar attack in September saw the victim escape from captivity.

He noted that the recurring incidents have created widespread fear among residents and appealed to authorities to intensify efforts to confront the menace.

Police in Wapuli have confirmed the latest abduction and indicated that a report has been forwarded to the District Command in Saboba.

According to monitoring by JoyNews, this is the fourth kidnapping incident in the Yendi–Wapuli–Gushegu enclave this year. In September, a 50-year-old cattle owner was kidnapped in Ikpeani, with kidnappers demanding a GH¢30,000 ransom; the victim later escaped. In October, another wealthy cattle owner was targeted near Wapuli, with a GH¢300,000 ransom demanded. In November, a middle-aged man named Umar was killed after resisting an attempted kidnapping at his home in Jagbel, near Ugando, in the Chereponi District.

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The assailants, armed with rifles and reportedly using coordinated tactics, stormed Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School in Maga town around 4 a.m. local time, engaging police in a gunfight before scaling the perimeter fence and seizing the students, police spokesperson Nafiu Abubakar Kotarkoshi said.

Vice Principal Hassan Yakubu Makuku was shot dead while resisting the attackers, and another staff member sustained gunshot injuries, he added.

Police said additional tactical units, soldiers and local vigilantes have been deployed to comb suspected escape routes and surrounding forests in a search-and-rescue operation.

Northwest Nigeria has witnessed repeated school abductions by armed gangs seeking ransom, despite government pledges to improve security in the region.

Islamist militant group Boko Haram kidnapped 270 schoolgirls in 2014 in the northeastern town of Chibok. While many of the girls managed to escape or were later released, some have never been returned.

The fatal attack occurred on the night of Saturday, 9th March 2025, when unidentified gunmen stormed the victims’ residence and opened fire, killing them instantly.

The motive behind the attack remains unclear; however, some residents believe it is linked to the ongoing Bawku Conflict.

The volatile situation in the region has led to heightened tensions, with several communities living in fear of further violence.

Although calm has been restored in Gumyoko, a joint team of military and police personnel has been deployed to maintain security in the area.

Authorities have assured residents of their commitment to safeguarding lives and property while investigations into the incident continue.

The latest killings have added to growing concerns over the persistent insecurity in the region.

Many residents have called on the government to take decisive action to address the root causes of the conflict and ensure lasting peace.

Since the resurgence of the Bawku Conflict in October 2024, approximately 70 people have lost their lives in related violent incidents.

The cycle of attacks and reprisals has severely impacted communities, disrupting livelihoods and displacing many families.

Security officials have urged residents to remain vigilant and cooperate with law enforcement agencies to help bring the perpetrators to justice.

Meanwhile, peace advocates continue to push for dialogue and reconciliation efforts to end the long-standing hostilities in the region.

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The shootings resulted in the death of two individuals.

The cause of this latest shooting is yet to be determined, as security personnel intensify investigations to prevent any escalation.

This has caused widespread fear in the township.

Police are investigating the matter to bring perpetrators to book.

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A live broadcast by station TC in the city of Guayaquil was interrupted on Tuesday by the group, who were wearing hoods and carrying guns.

Staff were forced to on the floor, before the live feed cut out.

A 60-day state of emergency began in Ecuador on Monday after a convicted gang leader vanished from his prison cell.

The hooded men were seen leaving the TC studios, with police seen entering the set about 30 minutes after the gunmen first appeared.

National police units in Quito and Guayaquil have been deployed to the scene.

The country’s national police force said in an update on X, formerly Twitter, that staff had been evacuated from the studio.

It later said several suspects had been arrested.

Following the incident, President Daniel Noboa signed an executive order declaring an internal armed conflict and listed several organised crime groups as “terrorist organisations” and “non-state actors”.

The University of Guayaquil said all academic and administrative activities had been suspended given the social unrest nationwide.

At least seven police officers have been kidnapped by gang members since the state of emergency was declared.

The measures were introduced by President Noboa after the boss of the Los Choneros gang disappeared from a maximum security jail on Sunday.

Officials said Fito, whose real name is Adolfo Macías Villamar, was not in his cell on Sunday morning when police arrived to move him to a different jail within the same compound.

He is thought to have absconded just hours before his planned transfer. Two prison guards have been detained on suspicion of helping Fito escape.

Los Choneros is a powerful prison gang which is thought to be behind many of the deadly riots and prison fights which have erupted in Ecuador’s jails over recent years.

It is not clear at this stage whether the storming of the television station is linked to the prison escape, but it is an example of the deteriorating security situation in the country.

Nearly 40 other inmates, including another convicted drug lord, broke out from another prison in the city of Riobamba in the early hours of Tuesday.

Fito’s escape is also a blow to the government of President Noboa, who was sworn in in November after winning an election tarnished by the assassination of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio.

Villavicencio had reported receiving death threats from Fito just days before he was shot dead while leaving a campaign rally in the capital Quito.

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It was gathered that the gunmen invaded the church, God’s Vineyard of Grace Dominion Assembly, at around 7:36pm and opened fire on the pastor. 

The assistant pastor was also said to have also sustained injuries on his head during the attack. 

A source who did not want his name in print told Punch that the gunmen trailed the pastor who drove in the company of his wife to the church, where they rained bullets on them as soon as they parked their car in front of the church.

“Some members of the church, including the assistant pastor, were outside the church having a rehearsal ahead of a programme scheduled to commence that day when the pastor and his wife stopped by,” the source said. 

The cleric said that he had earlier noticed a car trailing him inside GRA, where he had visited a friend and he was shocked to see the same vehicle suddenly stop behind him in front of his church.

“One of the three armed men who alighted from the car approached the pastor, snatched the cross pendant on his necklace and the two other assailants opened fire from the rear.

“The pastor’s wife was hit by bullets and she died at a hospital a few hours after, while her husband and his deputy were treated and discharged.”

Spokesperson of the police in the state, SP Chidi Nwabuzor, who confirmed the incident said the command has begun a full-scale investigation to apprehend those behind the act and bring them to justice.

The attack took place early Thursday morning in Rosario, Messi’s hometown and the nation’s third-largest city that sits roughly 185 miles northwest of Buenos Aires.

The city has been plagued by drug violence in recent years. Nobody was injured in the attack on the Unico supermarket owned by the family of Messi’s wife Antonella Roccuzzo.

Before fleeing, the gunmen left the note naming Messi and Rosario’s mayor Pablo Javkin, police said, according to The Associated Press.

“Messi, we’re waiting for you,” the note reads. “Javkin is also a drug trafficker, so he won’t take care of you.”

Messi has not publicly addressed the attack.

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Javkin addressed the attack and portrayed it as an effort “to create chaos in the city,” AFP reports.

“What story goes more quickly viral in the world than an attack on Messi?” Javkin said, per AFP.

He also lashed out at federal authorities while visiting the site of the attack.

“Where are the ones who need to take care of us?” Javkin said, per AP. “It’s clear that those who have the weapons and have the possibility of investigating the criminals aren’t doing it, and it’s very easy for any gang to carry out something like this.”

Per AP, the federal government’s Security Minister Aníbal Fernández characterised the attack as drug-related violence typical to Rosario “for the last 20 years.”

Gunmen stormed the St Francis Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo state, during a service earlier this month and opened fire.

The suspects are being held by a force set up by the south-west state governors, known as Amotekun. It is a separate organisation from the police.

Amotekun commander Adetunji Adeleye told the BBC that the suspects were at different stages of interrogation.

He did not give any details about those being held but said a vehicle and some weapons were recovered.

Amotekun will need to hand the suspects over to the police if they are going to be prosecuted as it does not have the power to take people to court.

As well as the at least 40 people who died on 5 June, more than 100 others were injured during the attack.

The Nigerian government blamed the killings on the militant group, Islamic State of West African Province. But the jihadists have not said that they carried out the attack.

Information JoyNews gathers indicate that the two occupants of the vehicle were driving when suddenly they saw a rider in front of them fall off his motor bike.

The informant added that the two stopped to enable the person rise up only for someone to hit the window of the vehicle breaking the glass.

The source added that the person pointed a gun at them and ordered them to step out of the vehicle. The vehicle was then taken from them and immediately the number plates removed before they drove off including the one who had earlier fallen before them.

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The Northern Regional Police command said it has received a complaint and investigations have commenced.

Regional Crime Officer Superintendent, Bernard Baba Ananga said all the highway patrol units have been informed and the exits of the region have been closed.

“There was a robbery that was reported around 1 am when a Toyota Helux Pickup with registration number GH 6207-20 belonging to the Ghana Highway Authority was snatched from the driver at gunpoint ” he said.

He added that they have mounted surveillance and were positive they will recover the vehicle.

“We have since declared a manhunt for these armed robbers and we believe most of them are coming from since locations and going round taking vehicles like that, because our high ways have been inundated with police officers especially at night and so we see that they are not seeing their way clearly” the crime officer said.

Superintendent Ananga added that four vehicles have been snatched in similar style in the area this year but the Police have been able to recover two.

He said the police were receiving some cooperation from some informants and believe they will be able to find the vehicle.

“We believe that we will be able to recover the vehicle and bring it to the owners,” he said.

Superintendent Ananga assured that the perpetrators are been pursued and would soon be apprehended.

The girls were abducted by unidentified gunmen from their boarding school in Jangebe, Zamfara state, on Friday and taken to a forest, police said.

The state’s governor said on Tuesday that the group had been freed and the girls were now safe.

Such kidnappings are carried out for ransom and are common in the north.

Dozens of the girls were seen gathered at a government building in Zamfara after they were taken there in a fleet of mini-buses.

“It gladdens my heart to announce the release of the abducted students… from captivity,” Governor Bello Matawalle wrote on Twitter.

“This follows the scaling of several hurdles laid against our efforts,” he added. “I enjoin all well-meaning Nigerians to rejoice with us as our daughters are now safe.”

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The authorities said 279 girls had been freed, adding that a figure given last week by police that 317 had been kidnapped was no longer accurate.

One official told Reuters news agency that the discrepancy was due to the fact that some girls had fled shortly after being abducted.

The group’s release was secured through negotiations between government officials and the abductors, authorities in Zamfara state told the BBC.

Mr Matawalle has denied paying for the girls to be released, but last week President Muhammadu Buhari admitted state governments had paid kidnappers “with money and vehicles” in the past and urged them to review the policy.

President Buhari said he felt “overwhelming joy” at the news of the girls’ release. “[I am] pleased that their ordeal has come to a happy end without any incident,” he said.

The 2014 kidnap of 276 schoolgirls in the north-eastern town of Chibok by Islamist militants Boko Haram brought global attention to the scourge of raids on schools in Nigeria, but a surge in recent attacks is suspected to be the work of criminal gangs.

The raid in Zamfara state was the region’s second kidnapping in recent weeks. Some 27 students were kidnapped from a boarding school in Kagara in the north-central state of Niger last month before they were released on 17 February.

No group has said they were responsible for the Zamfara kidnappings.

Armed groups operating in the state often kidnap for ransom but when gunmen took more than 300 boys from Kankara in neighbouring Katsina state in December last year, some reports said Boko Haram, which operates hundreds of miles away in the north-east, was behind the attack.

The reports were later disputed and the boys released after negotiations.

According to police sources, the deceased, together with two other personnel, were on duty at the Kumbungu police checkpoint and signaled an ash saloon car to stop while approaching the checkpoint around 10:45pm on Tuesday.

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“Four armed men, all dressed in military camouflage wearing face masks and boots, suddenly got down from the car and shot at the deceased killing her instantly.

 “The other policewoman in her attempt to take cover stumbled and fell and her weapon together with that of the deceased were taken by the robbers. The third officer, who had then taken cover, fired at the [suspected] robbers but the [suspected] robbers managed to escape with the two weapons,” the police report said.

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The body, after an inspection by the Regional Commander and other officers at the crime scene, has been sent to the Tamale Teaching Hospital mortuary with investigations ongoing.

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Masked men broke into the Familias Unidas centre at 21:00 local time (02:00GMT) and opened fire on those inside.

Witnesses said the attackers wore military-style clothes and carried assault rifles.

Police say the motive for the attack is not yet clear.

The security forces erected checkpoints around the city but have so far not been able to track down those responsible.

Drug rehabilitation centres have been targeted by gunmen on a number of occasions.

In 2012, 11 people were killed in a drug rehabilitation centre in the northern state of Coahuila.

Two years previously, 13 people were shot in similar circumstances in the border city of Tijuana.

Investigators say drug gangs often target the clinics when they suspect rival gang members of hiding there.

They also suspect that the gangs use the clinics to recruit hitmen and smugglers, often threatening to kill those who fail to co-operate.

The state of Chihuahua, which borders with the United States. has seen a rise in murders in the past months which police say is down to a fight for control of drug markets between the Juárez and the Sinaloa cartels.

Officials said “suspected jihadists” were behind the assault.

One of those killed is a French national, while details of the other casualty are not yet known.

Locals reported hearing shots fired at the luxury destination – Le Campement Kangaba resort in Dougourakoro, to the east of the capital Bamako.

Malian troops and soldiers from France’s Bakhane counter-terrorist force are at the scene.

The attack is said to be ongoing, with security forces battling the gunmen.

It is feared that hostages have been taken at the luxury resort, according to a UN official cited by the Associated Press.

“Security forces are in place. Campement Kangaba is blocked off and an operation is under way,” security ministry spokesman Baba Cisse told Reuters.

Witness Boubacar Sangare was just outside the compound as the attack unfolded.

“Westerners were fleeing the encampment while two plainclothes police exchanged fire with the assailants,” he said.

“There were four national police vehicles and French soldiers in armoured vehicles on the scene.”

He added that a helicopter was circling overhead.

The European Union training mission in Mali, EUTMMALI, tweeted that it was aware of the attack and was supporting Malian security forces and assessing the situation.

Just days ago, the US state department had warned of “possible future attacks on Western diplomatic missions, other locations in Bamako that Westerners frequent”.

BBC correspondent Alex Duval Smith says many expats and wealthy Malians go to Kangaba at weekends, to enjoy the pools, cocktail bar, canoeing facilities, and other activities for children.

Mali has been fighting a jihadist insurgency for several years, with Islamist fighters roaming the country’s north and centre.

In November 2015, at least 20 people were killed when gunmen took guests and staff hostage at the Radisson Blu hotel in Bamako.

Al-Qaeda’s North African arm, Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), said it was behind that siege.

Mali has been in a state of emergency since the Radisson Blu attack. It was extended for a further six months in April.

The country’s security has gradually worsened since 2013, when French forces repelled allied Islamist and Tuareg rebel fighters from parts of the north.

French troops and a 10,000-strong force of UN peacekeepers have been battling to stabilise the former French colony.

Lawmaker Elias Hazrati told state television three assailants, one with a pistol and two with AK-47 assault rifles, raided parliament.

Another lawmaker said one of the assailants was surrounded by security forces and all the doors to the building had been closed, ISNA news agency reported.

“I was inside the parliament when shooting happened. Everyone was shocked and scared. I saw two men shooting randomly,” said one journalist at the scene, who asked not to be named.

Around half an hour later, an armed man opened fire at the Mausoleum of Ayatollah Khomeini and wounded a number of people, the semi-official Fars news agency reported.

State news agency IRNA quoted an official at the mausoleum as saying that the attacker had blown himself up after shooting at people.

The identity and the motivation of the assailant was still unclear, Tasnim said.

Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini launched the Islamic revolution in 1979.