At least 46 people were killed and an unknown number were abducted on Saturday in an attack by armed men on three villages in Niger State, in central-western Nigeria, AFP learned from a humanitarian source.

According to this humanitarian source, who requested anonymity, "38 people were shot or had their throats slit" in the village of Konkoso, "seven were killed in Tungan Makeri," and "one person was killed in Pissa." These three locations fall within the jurisdiction of the Borgu local government, on the border with Kwara State, where more than 160 people were massacred by jihadists in early February.

The resurgence of deadly attacks and mass kidnappings has drawn attention to the security situation, especially from the United States, which has criticized Nigeria's inability to stem the violence.

Nigeria has been facing a jihadist insurgency for more than 16 years in the northeast, a conflict between farmers and herders in the north-central region, separatist violence in the southeast, and kidnappings for ransom in the northwest, which could gradually spread to the southwest, which until now has been relatively safer.

Jihadist groups also operate in the northwest and west-central regions, emboldened by growing insecurity in neighboring countries such as Niger and Burkina Faso. Numerous armed gangs, locally known as "bandits," are also active, looting villages, killing, and kidnapping residents.

- Assessment currently underway -

The humanitarian source specified that "about 80% of the houses in Konkoso have been burned down" and that "other bodies are being recovered".

A resident of Konkoso confirmed the three attacks: "Yesterday, armed men attacked Tungar Makeri and killed six people (...) And this morning, they went to Konkoso and killed 26 people, including my nephew who is like a son to me," he said.

"They burned down many houses and abducted four women," he added.

"After Konkoso, they went to Pissa where they set fire to a police station and killed one person," he said.

According to him, "at present, many people are missing".

The Niger State Police have confirmed the attack on Tungan Makeri.

"At about 06:00 a.m., suspected bandits invaded the village of Tungan Makeri (...) and six people lost their lives during the attack," a police spokesman told AFP.

"Some houses have been burned down and an as yet undetermined number of people have been abducted," he added, specifying that he was looking for information on the attacks in the other two villages.

According to a security report seen by AFP, the bandits "operated using 41 motorcycles, each carrying two or three men".

- A haven for bandits and jihadists -

The border between Kwara and Niger states is home to the Kainji forest, a notorious haven for bandits and jihadists.

In early February, more than 160 people were massacred in the village of Woro, in Kwara State, by jihadists.

In October, the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM), affiliated with Al-Qaeda, claimed responsibility for its first attack on Nigerian soil near Woro.

More than 250 children from a Catholic boarding school in Papiri, in the same state of Niger, were abducted in November. They have since been released.

According to Nigerian media, religious and community leaders in the Borgu constituency called on President Bola Tinubu last week to establish a military base nearby in order to put an end to the recurring attacks.

Insecurity in Nigeria has become a subject of interest for the United States, whose president, Donald Trump, claims that Christians in Nigeria are "persecuted" and victims of a "genocide" perpetrated by "terrorists".

Abuja and the majority of experts firmly deny that the violence generally affects Christians and Muslims indiscriminately.

The US military, in coordination with Nigerian authorities, conducted strikes in Sokoto State on Christmas Day, targeting, it said, Islamic State jihadists.

Since then, military cooperation between the two countries has strengthened.