At least 43 Fulani herders have been killed in coordinated attacks by suspected vigilante groups in rural communities across Kebbi and Niger States, community leaders and local sources reported.
The violence in Kebbi State unfolded between October 24 and 26, 2025, targeting Fulani settlements in Argungu, Arewa, and Bunza Local Government Areas (LGAs), according to journalist Zagazola Makama.
Armed assailants stormed herders' camps, firing indiscriminately and setting homes ablaze, displacing hundreds including women and children.
In Lailaba District of Argungu LGAparticularly Maini Fulani settlement and in Bui and Tilli districts of Arewa and Bunza LGAs, 37 people were killed, several injured, and over 200 houses razed.
Some victims remain unaccounted for.Eyewitnesses described the assaults as originating from nearby villages, including Yeldu District in Arewa LGA for the Argungu attacks, and Tunga Bature, Tunga Tsoho, Bui, Sangela, and Danmairago villages for the Bui incident.
Kebbi State authorities have deployed officials to the sites, vowing thorough investigations, justice for the perpetrators, and aid for displaced families while urging restraint to avert escalation.
In Niger State, a parallel attack on September 21, 2025, claimed six more Fulani lives and destroyed over 60 houses in Ejjin, Runji, Majina, and Ginshi villages in Edati LGA.
The incident reportedly stemmed from a farmer-herder dispute, with vigilantes retaliating despite the herder suspect being in police custody.
The Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) condemned the killings in a statement from National Secretary Bello Aliyu Gotomo, labeling them "unjustified and inhumane."
MACBAN demanded the arrest and prosecution of those involved, highlighting how herders already face extortion and raids by Lakurawa bandits local armed groups imposing illegal taxes and seizing livestock.
"Peaceful herders are now targeted by vigilantes taking the law into their own hands, which will only deepen insecurity," Gotomo warned.
The group praised Niger State Governor Mohammed Umar Bago for swift intervention that curbed further violence but urged federal, state, and local governments to tackle rural insecurity head-on.
"The crisis is crippling livestock and farming livelihoods immediate, coordinated action is essential to safeguard lives,"Gotomo added.
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