President Bola Tinubu has directed security chiefs to track and arrest the terrorists responsible for the Saturday attack on Kasuwan Daji market in Borgu Local Government Area of Niger State, where at least 30 people were killed.
The assailants also abducted an unspecified number of residents, including women and children, before setting the market ablaze.
In a statement issued Sunday by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, Tinubu tasked the Minister of Defence, Chief of Defence Staff, Service Chiefs, Inspector-General of Police, and Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS) to hunt down the perpetrators and deliver swift justice.
He further ordered intensified efforts to rescue the abducted victims and condemned the assault as a direct attack on innocent Nigerians.
“These terrorists have tested the resolve of our country and its people. They must face the full consequences of their criminal actions. No matter who they are or what their intent is, they must be hunted down. They, and all those who aid, abet, or enable them, will be caught and brought to justice,” Tinubu declared.
Security sources suspect the attackers are terrorists displaced by military operations in the North-West, including air strikes around Christmas Eve.
Tinubu extended condolences to the victims’ families, the Niger State government, and its people, vowing relentless federal action to restore peace.
He directed agencies to ramp up patrols in vulnerable forest-bordering communities used as criminal hideouts.
Reaffirming his administration’s focus on unity and security, the President urged Nigerians to stay calm and united against divisive narratives.
“These times demand our humanity. We must stand together as one people and confront these monsters in unison. United, we can and must defeat them, deny them any sanctuary, and reclaim the peace of these attacked communities,” he added.
This directive follows rising security worries in Niger State amid efforts to thwart further incidents and secure the abducted.
