No fewer than 18 persons have lost their lives following a violent land dispute in Angwan-Baago community, Katako District, Rafi Local Government Area of Niger state.
The Niger state command’s Police Public Relations Officer, Wasiu Abiodun, a Superintendent of Police, confirmed this in a statement on Thursday, 2 July 2026.
He said the crisis, which began on Monday, escalated on Wednesday into multiple attacks, including arson and shootings, leaving 18 people dead.
According to him, suspected armed men had on Monday shot dead a 25-year-old man, Ibrahim Musa, in Godoro village. In a reprisal, local vigilantes, known as Yansakai, reportedly blocked a road and killed a 28-year-old man, Bashir Mazi.
Abiodun explained that the initial incident, linked to a longstanding land dispute between two communities, triggered a chain of retaliatory violence.
He added that on 1 July 2026 at about 10 p.m., 15 persons were burnt to death in a two-bedroom flat at Angwan-Baago, while another victim was killed at a separate location, bringing the total fatalities to 18.
