Nigeria: Two deadly attacks in Kaduna state Dec. 22, 24

Event

Unidentified armed men carried out two fatal attacks on Friday, December 22, and on Sunday, December 24, in the northern state of Kaduna, resulting in the deaths of at least ten people. At around 18:00 (local time) on December 24, gunmen attacked Mailafiya village in the Kwagiri district of the Jemaa local government, killing at least six people and injuring several others. On December 22, a lone assailant opened fire on a group of people enjoying pre-Christmas celebrations in the Nindem village in Godogodo district (Jemaa); four people died and eight were injured in this attack. An increased security presence has been deployed to southern Kaduna, where police and the army are conducting an investigation into the source of the violence. It remains unclear if these attacks were acts of terrorism or related to intercommunal tensions, but local sources indicate most likely the latter.

Context

Intercommunal clashes are frequent in Nigeria, especially between nomadic and agrarian communities in Benue, Delta, Kaduna, Niger, Taraba, and Kogi states. In a 2016 report, the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom reported that fatalities linked to ethnic violence in Nigeria were more common than those linked to terrorism.

Advice

Travel to Kaduna state should be undertaken for essential purposes only. Travelers are advised to exercise vigilance around key dates such as Christmas and New Year's Eve due to the risk of terrorism or other attacks, and to avoid all religious gatherings as a precaution.

Generally speaking, the security environment in Nigeria is complex and is particularly concerning in the northeast and extreme south of the country due to the presence of armed groups, high crime rates, and the risk of kidnapping. Some Western governments consequently advise against travel to certain areas of the northeast (e.g. states of Borno, Yobe, Gombe, Bauchi, and Jigawa as well as parts of Kano and Adamawa states) and the southern Niger Delta region (e.g. states of Delta, Bayelsa, Akwa Ibom, and Rivers). Professional security advice and support should be sought prior to travel to these areas.