Renewed assaults by jihadist groups affiliated with Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati wal-Jihad, JAS, Ansaru breakaway factions and Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin, JNIM, have intensified anxiety over the possible spread of extremist violence into Nigeria’s North-Central region, with Borgu Local Government Area of Niger State increasingly identified as a flashpoint.
On January 9, armed fighters operating around the Borgu corridor struck Damala village, a Kambari farming community, killing four people and making away with food supplies and livestock before escaping into the Kainji National Park.
Sources said the raid mirrored the January 3 attack on Kasuwan Daji, where residents were killed and others taken hostage during a coordinated nighttime operation.
Security intelligence suggests that Borgu and nearby Agwara Local Government Area are fast becoming active theatres for a Boko Haram faction led by Saddiku, working in concert with JNIM elements moving in from the Sahel.
Investigations indicate that these fighters are taking advantage of the Liptako–Gourma tri-border forest zone covering Mali, Niger Republic and Burkina Faso, transiting through Benin Republic before embedding themselves within the Kainji National Park terrain.
Analysts note that the park’s expansive forest cover, coupled with limited surveillance and weak government presence, has made it a preferred hub for regrouping, logistics coordination and cross-border movement.
On November 21, 2025, gunmen abducted students of St. Mary Catholic School in Papiri, Borgu LGA. The students were later freed in phases on December 8 and December 22, 2025, though it remains uncertain whether ransom payments were made.
Intelligence operatives traced that abduction to JAS operatives believed to be operating from the Ali Ngulde camp in Nigeria’s North-East.
That incident was followed by the January 3 killings in Kasuwan Daji and a separate January 5 attack on a Mobile Police checkpoint at New Kali village, also within Borgu LGA.
Security assessments suggest these incidents form part of a broader pattern pointing to sustained and potentially escalated attacks in Borgu and surrounding settlements in the weeks ahead.
There are also rising fears that the violence could spill into neighbouring Kwara State, especially Kaiama and Baruten Local Government Areas, which share borders with the Kainji National Park.
Counterterrorism specialists warn that the militant groups appear to have regrouped and repositioned after recent security operations in parts of Niger State, raising the risk of a renewed wave of attacks.
“The pattern suggests deliberate expansion rather than isolated criminality,” a security expert said.
“This is ideological jihadist violence fused with banditry and cross-border logistics. The Damala attack reinforces assessments that JAS, Ansaru factions and JNIM elements now maintain established bases within Kainji National Park.”
Observers added that the repeated theft of food and livestock highlights the groups’ reliance on local communities for supplies, while exploiting the park’s dense ecosystem for cover, movement and survival.
Military analysts described Kainji National Park as both the operational nerve centre of the groups and a critical vulnerability.
They have called for sustained, intelligence-led air strikes targeting known hideouts, supply routes and gathering points within the park, arguing that such measures could sever logistics lines, weaken combat capacity and pave the way for coordinated ground operations to reclaim the area and halt further expansion into Kwara State and the wider North-Central zone.
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