ABUJA, Jan. 4 (Xinhua) -- Nigerian President Bola Tinubu said on Sunday that the perpetrators of the latest round of violence, which killed more than 30 people and saw dozens kidnapped at a village market in Niger State, were suspected terrorists fleeing recent airstrikes assisted by the United States.
In a statement by his spokesman Bayo Onanuga, the president ordered security agencies, including the secret police and military, to track down and apprehend those responsible for the Saturday attack in Kasuwan Daji, a large market located in Demo Village in the state's Kabe district, ensuring they are swiftly brought to justice.
Tinubu also directed security agencies to rescue all the abducted victims, saying the attack was carried out by "terrorists suspected to be fleeing from Sokoto and Zamfara following the United States' airstrike on Christmas Eve."
"These terrorists have tested the resolve of our country and its people. They must, therefore, face the full consequences of their criminal actions," he said.
Speaking to Xinhua by phone earlier, Wasiu Abiodun, the spokesman for the police in Niger, said that the terrorists wreaked havoc in Kasuwan Daji by burning down shops and carting away food items, confirming that the attackers entered the village through the National Park Forest in the area.
Some local media reports put the casualty figure at 37, citing residents who said more villagers may have been affected.
Armed attacks have been a major security threat in Nigeria's northern and central regions, leading to deaths and kidnappings in recent months. ■