Bandits attacked Dogon-Fili community in Rafi LGA, Niger, killing one farmer and injuring another.
20 Aug 2025 · Dogon-Fili, Rafi, Niger
Deaths
1
Injured
1
Kidnapped
0
Total casualties
2
Perpetrators
Bandits
Response
Local sources confirmed the incident; no immediate security force intervention reported. The community remains vulnerable as Bandits attacks continue with limited state response.
Displacement
0
Socioeconomic drivers
Banditry-for-ransom economy, disruption of rural livelihoods, food insecurity
Trajectory
Attacks on farmers disrupt agricultural livelihoods, reinforcing food insecurity. Violence is evolving into a sustained campaign against rural economies, weakening resilience and pushing communities into cycles of poverty.
Cycle notes
Niger, particularly Rafi LGA, has experienced a surge in Bandits attacks on farming communities in 2025, with reports of at least 50 farmers killed in various communities in Rafi LGA in a single week. This pattern mirrors earlier waves of Banditry in neighbouring Zamfara and Kaduna states, indicating a geographical spread of rural Banditry into North-Central Nigeria.
Pattern
Bandits attacks on farmers
Related — Banditry
Troops from the 1 Division of the Nigerian Army immediately mobilized, evacuated the injured to hospitals (some referred to Barau Dikko Teaching Hospital, Kaduna), and launched rescue operations. Among the deceased were Elisha Pius, Japhet Bitrus, Obadiah Joshua, and Luka Augustine of Wake, as well as Ezekiel Augustine, Ishaya Paul, and Bulus Bawa of Gadanaji village. Witnesses said the Bandits “stormed the community in their large numbers and carried out their heinous act unchallenged”. A ninth victim later succumbed to injuries, raising the death toll to nine.
A gang of heavily armed Bandits stormed Kokodo village, a boundary town between Edu and Patigi LGAs in the Kwara North senatorial district. The attackers specifically targeted a group of local hunters who attempted to fend them off. Three hunters were killed instantly in the gunfight, while a fourth victim later succumbed to severe gunshot wounds. Two women, Salmanu Umar and Aishat Kokoma, were abducted. The gunmen fled the scene after the raid, dragging the victims into the surrounding bush.
Bandits abducted the District Head and two women in Birbysng community, Kanam LGA, Plateau State.