Public anger intensified on Sunday following a deadly attack on a market in Borgu Local Government Area of Niger State, where gunmen reportedly killed at least 30 people and abducted several others, sparking widespread criticism of the Federal Government and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu over perceived inaction and silence.
The attack, which occurred on Saturday, January 3, targeted Kasuwan Daji market, a major trading hub in the area. Witnesses and social media users said armed assailants stormed the market, killing traders and residents, looting goods, and setting parts of the area ablaze before fleeing.
Former presidential candidate and activist Omoyele Sowore, reacting to the incident on social media, accused President Tinubu of failing to show leadership or empathy in the wake of the killings. “More than 30 people have been murdered in cold blood in Niger State, and there has been no word, no empathy, no leadership from Bola Ahmed Tinubu,” Sowore said, adding that Nigeria was “effectively without a president at this moment.”
Sowore further alleged that the President had remained silent since leaving the country ahead of the New Year under the pretext of a vacation, despite escalating violence. “A country bleeding, and a leader missing in action,” he said.
Several civil society actors and social media commentators echoed similar sentiments, questioning the government’s ability to guarantee security after more than a decade of insurgency and banditry. Mission 4Outreach, a civic group, described the situation as a crisis of sovereignty, alleging that terrorist groups had operated freely in parts of the country for over 15 years.
“The Commander-in-Chief is supposed to be at the war front to protect lives and defend our sovereignty,” the group said, claiming the President was overseas while communities were under attack.
Beyond Society, an online civic platform, confirmed that Kasuwan Daji was trending nationwide following reports that at least 30 people were killed during the raid, with several others taken hostage. The group said the incident had renewed fears over worsening insecurity in Niger State and other parts of northern Nigeria.
Other commentators compared Nigeria’s leadership response to security crises with that of foreign leaders, while some accused the international community and the United Nations of ignoring civilian deaths unless they involved specific global narratives.
Anger was also fueled by claims that government reactions to high-profile or elite incidents appeared swifter than responses to mass killings of ordinary citizens. “Every death is a loss to the family and the country at large,” one commentator said, criticising what they described as selective empathy by authorities.
Civil society voices and activists described the Borgu attack as a national emergency, calling for accountability from security agencies and immediate measures to prevent further violence. “Markets should be places of trade and hope, not killing fields,” one statement read, urging the government to move beyond condolence messages to concrete action.
As of the time of filing this report, there has been no official statement from the Presidency on the Kasuwan Daji attack. Security agencies have yet to release a detailed account of the incident or clarify whether operations are underway to rescue those abducted.
The attack adds to a growing list of violent incidents across Nigeria that have intensified debates about leadership, security sector effectiveness, and the federal government’s response to the country’s protracted insecurity crisis.
