Armed militants carried out deadly coordinated strikes on two Nigerian villages Tuesday evening, leaving at least 25 people dead and multiple homes destroyed, according to local officials and witnesses.
The simultaneous assaults targeted Kirchinga village in Madagali district and Garaha in the neighboring Hong area, both located in Adamawa State in northeastern Nigeria. These communities sit along the borders of Sambisa Forest, a known stronghold for Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province militants.
Village leader Abubakar Lawan Kanuri from Kirchinga explained to Reuters that the attackers wore military clothing when they arrived Tuesday night, causing residents to initially believe they were government troops conducting routine patrols. Following the assault on his community, authorities recovered 18 bodies.
The second attack in Garaha claimed seven lives when militants riding more than 50 motorcycles descended on the village and launched an assault on a nearby military installation, according to local resident Musa Isa, who said he “narrowly escaped” the violence.
Isa described how the attackers approached from multiple angles before striking the military facility, where they killed three soldiers. Four civilians attempting to flee were also shot dead, and militants set fire to a local school. Many survivors have since evacuated to Mubi, the closest major town.
Adamawa State’s Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri issued a strong condemnation of the violence through his spokesperson, calling the incidents “cowardly acts of terrorism.” The governor pledged not to “let terrorists undermine our efforts to restore peace and stability” in the region.
These latest attacks underscore the persistent security threats facing northeastern Nigeria, which has remained the center of a 17-year Islamic extremist insurgency despite ongoing military operations aimed at restoring stability to the area.
