Bandits Overpower Police, Raze Station, Church, Kill One, Abduct Five in Niger State Dawn Raid

By Tgnews Reporter

Suspected bandits launched a ferocious early-morning assault on Agwara community in Niger State’s Agwara Local Government Area on Sunday, February 1, 2026, killing at least one resident, abducting five others, and setting ablaze the local Divisional Police Station and part of the United Missionary Church of Africa (UMCA, also known as United Methodist Church).

The coordinated attack commenced around 3:40 a.m. when over 150 heavily armed gunmen stormed the police station. Despite a fierce two-hour gun battle with on-ground tactical police teams, the attackers overwhelmed the officers and reportedly used dynamite to demolish and set the facility on fire.

Eyewitness accounts and security reports indicate the bandits then proceeded into the community, targeting the UMCA church where worshippers attending a monthly vigil narrowly escaped into surrounding bushes moments before the assailants arrived and torched portions of the building.

While the Niger State Police Command initially reported no fatalities, subsequent confirmations from local sources and media outlets, including Punch Newspapers and Channels Television, verified that one person was killed during the rampage.

The gunmen also abducted approximately five residents—identities still being verified—before retreating into the dense forests of the nearby Kainji Lake National Park.

Niger State Commissioner of Police, Abdullahi Adamu Elleman, acknowledged that security forces were “overwhelmed” by the superior numbers of the terrorists.

In statements to media outlets like THISDAY, he detailed how the bandits’ sheer volume and explosives enabled them to overpower defenses.

The police public relations officer, SP Wasiu Abiodun, confirmed the sequence of events in an official release, noting the tactical engagement, the use of suspected dynamite, the partial burning of the church, and the abductions.

Joint security operations involving the Nigerian Army have been activated to pursue the fleeing attackers, secure the area, and attempt the rescue of the kidnapped victims. Authorities are also intensifying surveillance in the region.

This latest incident adds to a troubling pattern of violence in Agwara and surrounding areas of Niger State. It follows a January massacre in the same local government zone that claimed dozens of lives, as well as other deadly raids linked to bandit groups operating from forest hideouts, including Kainji Lake National Park.

Residents have expressed growing fear and frustration amid repeated attacks, with calls mounting for stronger federal intervention to restore safety in the volatile North-Central region.

The state government and security agencies have vowed to bring the perpetrators to justice and prevent further incursions.