Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
Gunmen suspected to be affiliates of the Islamic State group launched a brutal attack on Guyaku community in Gombi Local Government Area of Adamawa State on Sunday evening, April 26, 2026, killing at least 29 people, including 28 men and one woman, and injuring six others. The attackers, who operated for several hours, targeted young people gathered for a football match at the community’s primary school, opened fire at random, and later set fire to a church, houses, places of worship, and dozens of motorcycles. Survivors and witnesses described a scene of chaos as residents fled into the surrounding bush, abandoning their homes over fears of further attacks.
Adamawa State Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri, who cut short other official engagements to visit the devastated community on Monday, described the incident as “an affront to our humanity” and vowed that the perpetrators would be brought to justice. “My heart breaks for the people of Guyaku in Gombi LGA. Today, I stood on the ground where our brothers and sisters were cruelly taken from us. This act of cowardice will not go unpunished,” Fintiri wrote in a statement shared on his official X handle. He added, “We are intensifying security operations immediately to restore peace and ensure every resident feels safe in their home again.”
The Islamic State (IS) group later claimed responsibility for the attack, without specifying its motive. A rival faction of the jihadist insurgency, Boko Haram, has also been active in the north‑east of Nigeria for over a decade. Governor Fintiri, however, placed the blame on “criminal elements of Boko Haram.” The attack has deepened security concerns in a region already grappling with rising violence, just months before the country’s general elections.
Witnesses said the assault began around 5 p.m. on Sunday when armed men invaded the football pitch where youths from Zangula and a neighbouring village were playing a friendly match. “Suddenly, gunmen invaded our community and were shooting sporadically, killing two persons sitting in a hut and burning down the hut,” a resident, Musa Guyaku, told Channels Television. The gunmen then moved through the community, burning a church, houses, and motorcycles. Philip Agabus, another resident, told AFP: “Our people converged at a football pitch in Guyaku community … were attacked by insurgents who entered with guns and began shooting randomly.” A traditional ruler, Ali B. Agray, the Kumo of Gombi, told the Guardian that the attackers first struck the football pitch, causing panic, and later set a church ablaze, leading to widespread destruction and fear among residents.
The attack has left the community in a state of grief and terror. Many families have abandoned their homes, fleeing to neighbouring villages or taking refuge in the bush. A resident, Joshua Usman, told AFP that the dead included “youths, including some ladies that were watching the football match.” The governor’s spokesperson noted on Facebook that “the atmosphere in the community remains tense, with grief and fear evident,” and that many families “have abandoned their homes over concerns of further attacks.”
Governor Fintiri paid tribute to the victims and attempted to comfort the bereaved families. He received briefings from security agencies and the traditional ruler of Gombi Chiefdom, His Royal Majesty Aggrey Bechour‑Ali, who revealed that security agencies had earlier advised the community to suspend Sallah celebrations due to security alerts, a warning they complied with. “There are informants in our midst who may even be sons of the soil,” the traditional ruler said, noting that the attackers took advantage of the football match to strike.
The attack is the latest in a series of violent incidents that have plagued Adamawa State, which shares a border with Cameroon and has become a hotspot for jihadist violence and criminal gangs. Just a week earlier, a similar attack occurred in Mayo Ladde in Hong Local Government Area. In February, more than 24 people were killed after gunmen attacked Kirchinga village in Madagali LGA, razing homes, shops, and places of worship. Amnesty International condemned the latest killings, describing the incident as “horrifying” and urging authorities to do more to protect lives and ensure perpetrators are brought to justice.
The Nigerian security forces are under increasing pressure to curb the rising tide of violence in the north‑east, where tens of thousands have been killed and millions displaced since Boko Haram launched its insurgency in 2009. The United Nations has repeatedly warned that the conflict has spread to neighbouring Niger, Chad, and Cameroon. The Nigerian government has looked to the United States for technical and training support, and late last year, the US launched “powerful and deadly” strikes against IS‑linked militants in north‑western Nigeria.
The Guyaku attack also comes as Nigeria’s security crisis is being scrutinised both abroad and at home, with general elections scheduled for January 2027 less than a year away. The violence has already disrupted political activities, with opposition parties accusing the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of failing to protect citizens. Meanwhile, a separate attack on the same Sunday in the Lamurde area, more than 100 kilometres away, was blamed by local communities on farmland disputes, leaving additional lives lost and properties destroyed.
As the sun set on Guyaku, the charred remains of the church and the motorcycles stood as stark reminders of the massacre. The governor has ordered intensified security operations in the area, but for the families of the 29 dead, justice cannot come quickly enough. “To the attackers: justice is coming,” Fintiri said on Monday. For now, the people of Guyaku mourn, and the rest of Adamawa counts the cost of another day of violence.
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