Listeners:
Top listeners:
-
play_arrow
Police: ‘Bandits Torch Police Station, Church In Nigeria’s Niger State’
by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Chief International Correspondent
ABUJA (Worthy News) – Suspected armed bandits attacked a community in Nigeria’s north-central Niger State, police said, burning a police station, torching part of a church, and abducting several residents.
Police confirmed that attackers raided Agwara Local Government Area in the early hours of Sunday, engaging officers in a gun battle before setting the divisional police station ablaze.
The assailants later moved to a United Methodist Church (UMC) in the community, where part of the building was also burned, residents and officials said.
At least five people were abducted during the raid, though their identities were not immediately known.
A local resident, Hussaini Mohammed, told reporters by telephone that fear had spread through the town, forcing many residents to flee.
POLICE REVEAL EARLY MORNING ATTACK
Niger State police spokesman Wasiu Abiodun confirmed the assault, saying armed bandits, whom he also referred to as “terrorists,” invaded Agwara and set the station ablaze after confronting officers on the ground.
“The terrorists later moved to the UMC church in the community, burnt part of the church, proceeded to other areas and abducted about five persons,” Abiodun said in a statement.
He added that security forces were continuing monitoring operations and would provide further updates.
There were conflicting reports about casualties, with some accounts suggesting at least one person may have been killed, though police said no deaths had been confirmed.
Sunday’s raid is the latest in a wave of kidnappings and attacks across Nigeria’s northern and central regions, where heavily armed criminal gangs—often referred to locally as “bandits”—have repeatedly targeted villages, travelers, schools, and places of worship.
NIGERIA FACES KIDNAPPINGS AND VIOLENCE
In November 2025, more than 300 students and teachers were seized from a Catholic school in Niger State, with dozens escaping and others later released in batches, according to reports.
Analysts note that Nigeria’s insecurity involves multiple separate conflicts, including ransom-seeking bandit gangs in the northwest and north-central regions, as well as Islamist insurgencies in the northeast led by groups such as Boko Haram and its offshoot ISWAP. Authorities have not linked the Agwara attack to any specific extremist organization.
Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation, remains deeply divided by armed conflicts, criminal violence, and communal unrest that often affects both Christians and Muslims.
The worsening security crisis has also drawn international attention. U.S. President Donald J. Trump has publicly highlighted attacks on Christians in Nigeria, while advocacy groups such as Open Doors, which tracks persecution worldwide, reported that more than 3,400 Christians were killed for their faith in the reporting period covered by its World Watch List 2026, the highest known toll of any country globally.
In late December 2025, the United States launched airstrikes on what it and Nigerian officials described as armed group targets in northwestern Sokoto State, an operation Nigeria said it approved as part of efforts to curb growing insecurity.
Security forces said investigations were continuing into the Agwara attack and that efforts were underway to rescue abducted residents.
Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
Latest News from Worthy News
European policymakers, church leaders and representatives of Syria’s Christian communities have urged the country’s transitional authorities to protect minority Christians amid concerns over the future of believers in the war-torn Middle East nation.
A reported Houthi attack has struck Saudi Arabia’s strategically vital East-West oil pipeline, the massive cross-country system designed to keep Saudi crude flowing even when the Strait of Hormuz is threatened or closed.
Spanish-Moroccan relations, already strained over migration, faced more pressure Friday after Spain’s lower house of parliament approved legislation that would grant Spanish citizenship to tens of thousands of Sahrawis born when Madrid administered Western Sahara.
Russia launched fresh air attacks on Ukraine early Friday after NATO reportedly confronted Russian vessels trying to sabotage undersea cables, highlighting concerns that Moscow is attempting to extend the war by targeting Europe’s critical infrastructure.
Iran-backed Houthi forces seized Yemen’s strategic Red Sea port city of Mocha, raising fears for global shipping as escalating Middle East tensions pushed oil prices above $100 a barrel.
The United States and its allies are commemorating the 25th anniversary of the worst terror attacks on American soil, which had worldwide implications ranging from wars to increased surveillance.
Several impoverished Christians have died across Pakistan in recent days amid what advocates describe as a pattern of violence, discrimination and hardship potentially threatening the Christian community throughout the predominantly Muslim nation, Christian sources told Worthy News.
WHO WE ARE
The Psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs encapsulate the beauty, wisdom, and eternal truths found in the Bible, creating an immersive experience that resonates with believers and seekers alike.
CONTACT
- +1 908 280-4246
- Essex County, USA
- info@tnjrfm.com