Jihadists, Bandits Working as One Force, Nigerian Officials Say

1,000-man gangs on motorbikes strike on doorstep of capital

Security personnel stand guard in the Kukawa Village in the Kanam Local Government Area of the Plateau state on April 12, 2022, after resident's houses were burnt down during an attack by bandits. President Muhammadu Buhari vowed on April 12, 2022, there would be no mercy for those behind the killings of more than 100 people. AFP via Getty Images

Officials in Nigeria acknowledged on April 13 that so-called bandits and the Islamic terrorist group known as Boko Haram have formed a united front to attack trains and vehicles headed to the capital, Abuja.

While the union of the two criminal groups has been suspected for a year, the government’s chief spokesman, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, and his defense ministry counterpart, Gen. Bashir Magashi, confirmed the suspicions at a press conference in the president’s compound in Abuja.