Nigeria’s Defense Minister Mohammed Badaru Abubakar has resigned, citing health reasons, according to a statement from the president’s office on Monday. The resignation comes at a time when President Bola Tinubu has declared a national security emergency following a surge in armed banditry and kidnappings across the country. In recent weeks, incidents have included the abduction of a priest and several others from a church in Kogi State, and the kidnapping of around 490 people from various regions, including 315 children from a Catholic boarding school in Niger State. The government has responded by ordering mass recruitment into the police and military forces. Nigeria, with a population of over 220 million, reportedly has only about 370,000 security personnel, many of whom are assigned to protect wealthy individuals rather than rural communities, leaving vast areas vulnerable to criminal activity.

Armed attackers abducted 14 people, including a newlywed bride, her ten bridesmaids, a newborn, and two other women, from Chacho village in Sokoto State, northeastern Nigeria, between Saturday night and early Sunday morning. Local residents reported that the assailants raided the village under cover of darkness, marking the latest in a string of mass abductions plaguing the region in recent months. A local intelligence report confirmed the incident, noting a sharp rise in kidnappings by bandit groups in Sokoto during November—the highest in a year. Authorities suspect that failed peace negotiations between neighboring states and criminal gangs may have contributed to the surge. The same village was attacked in October, when 13 people were abducted and later released after ransom payments. The incident follows other recent mass kidnappings, including 25 students in Kebbi State and over 300 people in Niger State, underscoring Nigeria’s worsening security crisis.

At least 27 worshippers were killed during dawn prayers when armed assailants stormed a mosque in Katsina state, Nigeria, early Tuesday morning.

Local residents reported that gunmen opened fire inside the mosque in the remote community of Unguwan Matau around 4 a.m. Worshippers scattered in panic, but the attackers also targeted those fleeing. Several others were injured.

No group has yet claimed responsibility. Authorities have deployed military and police forces to the area.

Deadly armed raids are increasingly common in Nigeria’s northwest and central regions, often fueled by land and water disputes between herders and farmers. In June, more than 100 people were killed in a similar attack in north-central Nigeria.

Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has reported that at least 652 children have died from malnutrition and hunger in Nigeria’s Katsina State between January and June 2025. The crisis has been exacerbated by a significant reduction in international aid, particularly from the US, UK, and EU. MSF noted a 208% increase in the number of severely malnourished children compared to last year. The UN World Food Programme has already announced the suspension of aid to 1.3 million people by the end of July. Insecurity, armed robbery, and mass displacement have further complicated the humanitarian situation in Katsina.

At least 150 people have been killed in sudden floods that swept through Mokwa, a city in Nigeria's central Niger State, earlier this week, according to emergency agency spokesperson Ibrahim Audu Husseini. He warned that the death toll could rise further. The disaster has displaced over 3,000 people, completely destroyed 300 homes, and washed away two bridges. Earlier, the Daily Trust newspaper reported that thousands were left homeless and more than 50 children from an Islamic school were missing.

A deadly attack by militants on a mosque in Niger has claimed the lives of at least 44 civilians, leaving 13 others injured. The attack, which occurred on Friday, was carried out by the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS), a local affiliate of global terror networks Al-Qaeda and ISIS, according to Nigerien authorities.