Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The joy of a political gathering in Kontagora town, Niger State, turned into a nightmare for some participants on Sunday, May 3, 2026, when armed bandits reportedly opened fire on vehicles carrying civilians returning from the All Progressives Congress event. The attack occurred along the Bangi Road axis in Mariga Local Government Area, a corridor that has witnessed repeated ambushes and kidnappings targeting farmers, traders, and travellers. According to multiple security sources who spoke with Stone Reporters News, the victims were ordinary party supporters, not political office holders or high-profile figures. They had simply gathered to attend an APC meeting in Kontagora and were making their way home when gunmen emerged from the bush and began shooting.
The incident underscores the deteriorating security situation across Niger State, particularly in the northern senatorial district, which includes Mariga, Kontagora, Magama, Rijau, Borgu, and Mashegu local government areas. These communities have faced persistent bandit attacks for months, forcing dozens of residents, especially women and children, to flee their homes. In January 2026 alone, the presence of armed bandits in Mariga villages triggered a mass exodus of residents who abandoned their homes after reports that criminals had established camps in Kangi, Masabu, and Gulbin Boka. The Kontagora–Rijau road has been largely abandoned by motorists due to fear of ambush, and the Kontagora–Bangi road has similarly become a hotspot for abduction and arson.
Police authorities have confirmed the attack but offered a significantly different account of its outcome. According to a statement obtained by Stone Reporters News from the Niger State Police Command, officers responded promptly to distress calls and arrived at the scene to find that travellers had already been assailed by the gunmen. However, the police insisted that there were no fatalities and that no victims were taken into captivity. “No life was lost and no one was kidnapped in the attack,” a police source told our reporters. The command also noted that security patrols have been increased along the Bangi road and surrounding areas to reassure travellers and prevent further incidents. The police version of events diverges sharply from accounts circulating in local communities, where residents claim that several people were injured and transported to hospitals in Minna, the state capital, for treatment.
The contradictory narratives emerging from this incident are not unusual in Niger State, where communication between rural communities and central authorities is often strained. What is not disputed is the broader reality of escalating violence. Just days before the Kontagora attack, bandits had killed a nurse and four farmers in the Allawa community of Shiroro Local Government Area, while another attack on Tuesday, April 28, 2026, left a soldier dead in a gunfight with terrorists in Mariga Local Government Area. A military source told PRNigeria that the militants were on the trail of bandits who had previously attacked a military post on the outskirts of a village in the area. The cumulative effect has been a steady erosion of public confidence in the ability of security forces to protect civilians.
The APC rally in Kontagora on Sunday was part of the party’s ongoing mobilisation efforts ahead of the forthcoming party primaries and the 2027 general elections. In a statement reacting to a separate but similarly deadly terrorist attack in Niger State in January 2026, the APC National Working Committee had described the killings as “barbaric” and “unacceptable,” pledging the party’s full support for the federal government’s renewed determination to end terrorism. The party’s national chairman at the time, Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje, had expressed deep concern over sustained violence across affected communities, assuring residents that “the APC stands firmly with the people”. Sunday’s attack on the party’s own supporters now tests the sincerity of that solidarity.
The Bangi–Kontagora road has been a particular focus of concern. As far back as November 2024, bandits had burned two vehicles and abducted many people along this same route, with reports indicating that the criminals were operating openly and even stopping commuters in broad daylight. In July 2025, 17 soldiers were killed in a fierce gun battle with bandits near the Bangi community. In the same period, terrorists abducted 20 passengers along the Mariga-Kontagora road, holding them near a military training ground as authorities scrambled to respond. The father of the Emir of Kontagora, Alhaji Bashar Saidu Namaska, was himself gunned down by bandits while working on his farm on April 24, 2026, a killing that shook the traditional establishment in the area.
Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago has consistently ruled out any negotiation or payment of ransom to bandits, urging residents instead to rise and defend themselves against the recurring attacks. In a widely publicised statement in October 2025, the governor declared: “I will not negotiate with bandits. I will not pay ransom. The moment we start paying, they will open shop on our heads”. But with violence continuing to escalate, the limitations of that approach are becoming increasingly apparent. The governor’s media team had not issued any formal response to Sunday’s attack as of press time.
Efforts to reach the Niger State Commissioner of Police and the military spokesperson for Operation Whirl Punch, the joint task force responsible for the North Central region, were unsuccessful. The Nigerian Army’s 1 Division Headquarters in Kaduna, which oversees operations in Niger State, did not return calls seeking confirmation of casualty figures. Meanwhile, humanitarian sources told Stone Reporters News that at least three of the injured victims from the Bangi road attack were being treated at a private hospital in Minna, one of them in critical condition with gunshot wounds to the abdomen. The hospital administration declined to comment, citing patient confidentiality.
For the civilians of Mariga and Kontagora, the attack is yet another reminder that no one, not even political party supporters moving in broad daylight, is safe on the roads of Niger State. As the APC prepares for its primaries and the 2027 election cycle, the question of how the party intends to protect its own members while campaigning in bandit‑infested territory remains unanswered. The only certainty is that on a Sunday afternoon in May, after a political meeting in Kontagora, ordinary citizens driving home on the Bangi road faced a volley of bullets from gunmen who are still at large.
Stone Reporters News will continue to pursue official statements from the Niger State Government, the police, and the military. Further details, including the exact number of injured victims, will be published as soon as they become available.
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