The governor highlighted the broader security concerns linked to unmonitored settlement in the Emirate.
Niger State Governor, Umar Bago, has said that the Kasuwan Daji market in Demo village, Borgu Local Government Area, where over 40 people were killed and scores, including elderly women and children, were kidnapped during a bandit attack, is a market where stolen cattle and cows are sold.
Governor Bago made the remarks during a condolence visit to the Emir of Borgu, Alhaji Muhammad Haliru Dantoro Kitoro IV, following the attack, which has heightened security concerns in communities around Kainji Lake.
During the visit, the governor also announced a two-month deadline for residents of 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.
Explaining the reason for his visit, Bago in a video clip obtained by SaharaReporters commiserated with residents and the Emirate over the attack.
“First and foremost, we have come here to commiserate with the people of Borgo Emirate again. It's unfortunate that this has happened again in less than two months,” he said.
He described the attack and the nature of the market targeted, saying, “And 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 highlighted the broader security concerns linked to unmonitored settlement in the Emirate.
“But we have come here to caution the Emirate Council and the traditional institution on their rules for giving people accommodation,” he said.
“People, they don't even know where they are coming from. They come here, they pay money, they give them land, and they build houses and settle down as communities.”
He also warned 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,” Bago said.
“So it's a wake-up call to the Emirate Council of Borgo and the entire Emirate Council around here not to allow these people to come back here and settle.”
In a related statement earlier reported by SaharaReporters, his Chief Press Secretary, Bologi Ibrahim, said unprofiled population movement into the Emirate had complicated security operations.
The government instructed the Emirate Council to work with security agencies and government authorities at all levels 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.