Bandits linked to Sahel extremists attack Niger lawmaker’s convoy
Armed bandits have ambushed the convoy of Mohammed Jafaru, the member representing Borgu and Agwara Federal Constituency of Niger State in the House of Representatives, killing a soldier and injuring several others.
The attack occurred on Tuesday afternoon along the Lumma–Babanna Road in Borgu Local Government Area of the state, a volatile corridor notorious for bandit incursions and cross-border movement of armed groups.
Sources familiar with the incident told PREMIUM TIMES that the assault was staged by a faction led by Mamuda, a terrorist commander linked to Jama’at Nasr al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), an Al-Qaeda affiliate operating in the Sahel region.
The ambush reportedly took place between 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. as the lawmaker’s convoy approached Babanna, a community near the Benin Republic border.
The heavily armed attackers reportedly opened fire on the convoy as it approached Babanna, a border town near the Benin Republic, catching the lawmaker’s security team and aides unprepared.
The ensuing gunfire allegedly led to the death of a soldier attached to the convoy, while several vehicles were riddled with bullets and later vandalised.
Witnesses said at least 11 vehicles in the entourage were damaged, including those conveying security personnel and political associates of the lawmaker.
Mr Jafaru was said to be travelling to Babanna for an official engagement when the ambush occurred.
Details about the condition of the injured and the full extent of the damage remain sketchy as of the time of filing this report.
This incident underscores the worsening insecurity in border communities across Niger State, where armed groups linked to JNIM and ISWAP have recently increased their activities.
Worsening insecurity in Niger’s border corridor
The Lumma–Babanna axis has become increasingly dangerous in recent months due to heightened activities of bandit-terrorist alliances operating across Nigeria’s north-western and north-central states.
Investigations by PREMIUM TIMES have shown that extremist groups with roots in the Sahel – including JNIM, an Al-Qaeda franchise, are gradually expanding their networks into Nigeria’s border forests and communities.
A recent report by this newspaper titled “Tracing Al-Qaeda’s Footprints in Nigeria: From War-torn Sahel to Nigeria’s Forest Reserves” revealed that fighters with the appearance and tactics of Sahelian extremists have been sighted moving through the Kainji National Park and the Babanna–Lumma corridor of Niger State.
In another PREMIUM TIMES interview, Niger State’s Commissioner for Internal Security admitted that several rural communities in the state are under siege, with bandits operating freely in forested zones and targeting both civilians and security convoys.
The strategic location of Borgu, sharing porous boundaries with Benin Republic and overlapping cultural ties across the frontier has made it an easy target for infiltration by armed actors.