Event: Africa

The ISIL affiliate in the region has claimed responsibility for the attack on Guyaku village, which lasted for hours.Armed men killed at least 29 people in Guyaku village in Nigeria’s Adamawa State, in an attack that lasted several hours and left property destroyed, officials said.“My heart breaks for the people of Guyaku,” Adamawa’s Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri said in a post on social media as he visited the bereaved community on Monday.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Gunmen kidnap 23 children from Nigerian orphanagelist 2 of 4What is really happening in northern Nigerialist 3 of 4Six women win 2026 Goldman prize, world’s top environmental awardlist 4 of 4Nigeria charges six people with ‘terrorism’, treason over 2025 coup plotend of list“Today, I stood on the ground where our brothers and sisters were cruelly taken from us. This act of cowardice is an affront to our humanity and will not go unpunished,” he said.Fintiri also said his administration would continue to support “military and vigilante groups” as it intensified security operations in response to the attack.The regional affiliate of the ISIL (ISIS) group claimed responsibility for the attack in a post on the Telegram messaging app, according to the Reuters and Associated Press news agencies.There are two major ISIL-backed armed groups in Nigeria, but it was not immediately clear which one was behind the attack, according to the AP.The Guyaku attack occurred on the same day that armed attackers raided an orphanage in north-central Nigeria and abducted 23 children. Fifteen were later rescued, and the government said “intensive operations” were under way to “secure the safe return of the remaining eight victims and apprehend the perpetrators”.No group immediately claimed responsibility for the abductions in a region of the country that has seen an increase in kidnappings for ransom.The statement did…

The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack in a message on the Telegram messaging app Published - April 28, 2026 07:05 am IST - Abuja,Militants with the Islamic State group attacked a village overnight in northeastern Nigeria, killing at least 29 people, authorities said on Monday (April 27, 2026).The attack took place late on Sunday (April 26) in Guyaku, a village in the Gombi local government area in the country’s Adamawa state, according to the State Governor. Published - April 28, 2026 07:05 am IST

Gunmen have killed at least 29 people in north-east Nigeria, a state governor said on Monday, with local people saying the attackers targeted young people gathered at a football pitch, the latest bout of deadly unrest in Africa’s most populous nation.The attack on Sunday occurred in Adamawa state, which borders Cameroon, and is a hotspot for violence by jihadists and criminal gangs. Communal violence over conflict for land is also rife in the state.The latest attack comes as Nigeria’s security crisis is increasingly under scrutiny both abroad and at home as general elections are less than a year away.Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri, the governor of Adamawa state, visited the scene of Sunday’s attack and “confirmed that no fewer than 29 people were killed in a deadly attack on Guyaku community in Gombi local government area”, his spokesperson said in a post on social media.Local people also gave a similar toll.Philip Agabus, a local resident, told Agence France-Presse: “Our people converged at a football pitch in Guyaku community ... [and] were attacked by insurgents who entered with guns and began shooting randomly.”The dead were “youths, including some ladies that were watching football”, another resident, Joshua Usman, told AFP. “They also burned places of worship, houses and motorcycles.”The state governor’s office wrote: “The attackers operated for several hours, killing dozens of residents, burning places of worship, and destroying property including motorcycles.” It cited a local community leader, Aggrey Ali.Local television showed footage of a burnt church and several charred motorcycles.The governor blamed the Boko Haram militants who are active in the north-east of Nigeria.But a rival group, the Islamic State’s West Africa Province (ISWAP), claimed responsibility for the attack saying it “killed at least 25 … Christians” and “torched a church and nearly 100 motorcycles”, in a statement reported by the SITE monitoring…

14 hours agoChukwunaeme ObiejesiBBC Africa, AbujaGetty ImagesCriminal gangs often abduct people for ransoms across NigeriaEight children are still missing after gunmen raided an unregistered orphanage in Nigeria's north-central Kogi State and kidnapped 23, authorities have said.Kogi's information commissioner Kingsley Fanwo said 15 children were rescued due to the "prompt and coordinated response" of security agencies.Sunday's attack also saw the owner of the facility taken, he added.No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but security sources say the state has a functional Boko Haram cell, and that there have been several violent attacks in the area.Nigeria is also grappling with a kidnap crisis in many parts of the country, with criminal gangs abducting people for ransoms. The government has made paying ransoms illegal but this has not prevented the kidnappings."The government remains fully committed to ensuring the rescue of all the victims," Fanwo said. His statement on Monday also highlighted that the orphanage was "operating illegally" in a "bushy environment" without the knowledge of relevant authorities.Fanwo urged operators of orphanages, schools, and similar institutions to always engage appropriately with the appropriate government agencies "especially in the current security climate".Mass kidnappings in schools are not uncommon in Nigeria, especially in the country's northern region which is currently plagued by insecurity. This is the first time an orphanage has been targeted.They were released in two batches with the last group regaining freedom more than one month after.The government denied reports that any ransom had been paid, or that two Boko Haram commanders had been freed as part of the deal.Getty Images/BBC