Overview
- Local officials and the Red Cross reported death tolls ranging from 162 to about 170 as recovery continued in difficult, bushland terrain near the Benin border.
- Responsibility remains contested, with the president blaming Boko Haram and a regional lawmaker pointing to Lakurawa, an Islamic State‑linked faction, while no group has claimed the assault.
- Survivors and a local lawmaker said gunmen rounded up residents, executed some with their hands bound, and set homes, shops, and the traditional ruler’s palace on fire.
- Security forces launched search‑and‑rescue operations in Kaiama, as U.S. Africa Command confirmed a small team is in Nigeria following December airstrikes on IS‑affiliated militants.
- In separate violence, police reported at least 13–23 people killed in Katsina state, and church leaders said all worshippers abducted in January raids in Kaduna have now been released.