Around midnight, armed men launched a coordinated attack on the Abagana community, located directly opposite the official IDP camp. The attackers targeted displaced persons and villagers, using machetes and firearms, killing at least eight people, including a family of six.
19 Jan 2023 · Abagana, Markurdi, Benue
Deaths
8
Injured
8
Kidnapped
0
Total casualties
16
Perpetrators
Unidentified Armed Actors
Response
Special Adviser on Security to the Governor, Paul Hemba, visited the scene. Security forces were deployed to the area, though locals protested the delayed response.
Displacement
0
Socioeconomic drivers
Part of the long-standing contest over land ownership and grazing rights between agrarian communities and nomadic groups
Trajectory
This was the second major attack on this specific camp within two years (following a 2021 attack that killed 7 people). It showed that even camps near the state capital were no longer safe "buffer zones."
Cycle notes
It echoes the 2018 New Year's Day massacre in Guma and Logo LGAs, which originally forced these people into the Abagana camp. The 2023 attack proved that displacement does not necessarily end the threat for these victims.
Pattern
IDP camp targeting, farmer-herder communal violence.
Related — Armed Attack
Suspected Boko Haram insurgents attacked St. Mary‘s Catholic Church during Sunday service in Waga Chakawa (also known as Chakawa) village, Madagali Local Government Area, Adamawa State. The attackers, armed with AK‑47 rifles and Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), were reportedly wearing military uniforms, leading some residents to initially mistake them for soldiers. The gunmen first killed two police officers—an inspector and a sergeant—who were guarding the church. They then locked the congregation inside the building, detonated bombs, and shot or slit the throats of those attempting to escape through windows. After the church massacre, the militants went on a four‑hour rampage through the village, burning houses and taking residents hostage, including women, children and the elderly. The attack lasted from approximately 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Communications in the area were blocked by authorities.
Armed insurgents launched a coordinated attack on the town, abandoning their vehicles at the outskirts before infiltrating on foot to avoid detection. The gunmen positioned themselves across key locations, including the busy main market, before striking. In the violence that followed, the town's district head was abducted, two civilians were killed, and a young girl was injured.
Gunmen suspected to be members of Boko Haram opened fire on a group of people playing cards in the Tukuntawa area of Kano city, a suburb located about 10 kilometres from the city centre. The attack, which occurred at approximately 6:00 pm on Sunday evening, killed three people instantly and wounded four others. The victims were rushed to Murtala Mohammed Specialist Hospital. The assailants escaped on a motorcycle, a signature Boko Haram hit‑and‑run tactic.