Thousands of residents in Niger State have crossed into the Benin Republic after armed bandits overran several border communities, forcing families to abandon their homes and farmlands amid escalating violence.
The latest wave of displacement followed renewed attacks on rural settlements in Borgu and Agwara local government areas.
Survivors said heavily armed men moved through villages in large numbers, torching houses and spreading panic among already traumatised residents.
According to local accounts, the attackers returned to the Konkoso community days after an earlier assault, arriving on dozens of motorcycles in the early hours.
Properties that survived the first raid were reportedly set ablaze during the second invasion.
“We watched them burn what was left of our homes. There was no one to stop them,” a displaced resident said, explaining that entire households fled on foot toward safer territory across the border.
Another villager said the gunmen appeared to have entrenched themselves in the area after several days of sustained attacks.
“They have taken over the town. People are too afraid to go back,” he said.
Segbana, a border settlement linking Nigeria and the Benin Republic, has become a temporary refuge for many of the displaced.
Humanitarian concerns are mounting as families arrive with little more than the clothes they were wearing.
Security presence in the affected communities remains thin. Police facilities in some of the villages were previously destroyed during earlier raids, leaving residents without formal protection.
As of press time, authorities had yet to issue a comprehensive statement on the fresh attacks.
Moreover, the violence erupted barely a day after high-level security consultations between Niger and Kwara State officials aimed at tightening surveillance in vulnerable border corridors.
The renewed assault has raised fresh questions about intelligence coordination and rapid response mechanisms.
Lawmakers at the National Assembly have also reacted strongly.
During plenary, senators condemned the killings and abductions linked to the attacks, describing the situation as intolerable.
One lawmaker noted that more than 50 people were reportedly killed in recent raids, while women and children were taken captive.
“These communities sit along forest routes that criminals exploit for cross-border operations,” a senator said, warning that persistent assaults on farming settlements threaten food production and economic stability in the North-Central region.
However, legislators acknowledged ongoing counterterrorism operations by federal authorities, while urging a comprehensive review of Nigeria’s security framework.
Calls were made for enhanced intelligence sharing, improved surveillance technology, and stronger collaboration between security agencies and local communities.
The crisis in Borgu and Agwara underscores Nigeria’s broader displacement challenge.
With millions already uprooted nationwide, fresh cross-border movement into neighbouring countries highlights the deepening humanitarian strain in conflict-affected regions.
For residents who have fled, return appears uncertain.
“We just want to live without fear,” one displaced father said quietly. “Until it is safe, we cannot go back.”