Niger State Governor, Umar Bago, has said that the Kasuwan Daji market in Demo village, Borgu Local Government Area, targeted in a deadly bandit attack, is notorious for trading in stolen cattle.
The assault claimed the lives of over 40 people and saw scores, including elderly women and children, abducted.
Governor Bago made the remarks during a condolence visit to the Emir of Borgu, Alhaji Muhammad Haliru Dantoro Kitoro IV, stressing the security risks posed by unmonitored settlements around Kainji Lake.
In a statement obtained by The News Chronicle, Bago said: “People were slaughtered, murdered in a market square. This market is called Kasuandaji. Kasuandaji is the market of thieves; by definition, stolen cattle and cows are sold in the market. And this is what happened.”
The governor announced a two-month deadline for residents living in hamlets within the Kainji Lake forest to relocate to designated resettlement areas as part of efforts to flush out criminals hiding in the forest and prevent further attacks.
Bago also cautioned the Emirate Council about unregulated settlement, noting that some communities had been infiltrated by armed groups and extremist ideologies.
“And in turn, they’ve come with very, very dangerous weapons, ideologies, Boko Haram, extremism, and they have now conquered these people,” he said.
His Chief Press Secretary, Bologi Ibrahim, emphasized that unprofiled population movement into the Emirate had complicated security operations.
The government directed the Emirate Council to cooperate with security agencies and other authorities to address insecurity.
The resettlement order follows a series of violent incidents in the region, including the January 2026 attack on Kasuwan Daji market and the November 2025 abduction of pupils and staff from St Mary’s Catholic School in Papiri, Agwara Local Government Area, which led to temporary closure of schools across Niger State.
