Armed groups have intensified attacks across several northern Nigerian states following United States air strikes on Islamic State-linked militants in Sokoto State.
According to a report by The Punch, at least 47 people were killed and 35 others abducted between December 25, 2025, and January 2, 2026, in attacks carried out by bandits as well as fighters linked to Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP).
The attacks affected communities in Adamawa, Zamfara, Kwara, Plateau, Nasarawa, Yobe, Kano and Kebbi states, The Punch said, citing its review of security incidents during the period.
The surge followed U.S. air strikes announced by President Donald Trump on Christmas Day. Trump said the strikes targeted Islamic State militants in north-western Nigeria and warned that further action would follow if attacks on Christians continued.
Nigeria’s Defence Headquarters later confirmed the operation, saying intelligence had identified terrorist elements in the area and that damage assessments were ongoing.
Despite the strikes, there has been renewed violence across multiple states. In Adamawa State, the chairman of Hong local government area, Usman Inuwa, said that Boko Haram fighters killed 14 people in nighttime attacks on the villages of Mubang and Zar, near the Sambisa forest.
In Plateau State, at least seven farmers were killed in an attack in Jos South local government area, while 16 women were abducted and two people killed in an assault on Sabon-Layi village in Zamfara State, the report said.
Gunmen also carried out coordinated attacks on several villages in Kebbi State, killing at least eight people, according to The Punch. In Kwara State, traditional ruler Oba S.Y. Olaonipekun and one of his sons were abducted in the Ifelodun local government area.
ISWAP separately claimed responsibility for a mortar attack on a Nigerian military base in Goniri, Yobe State, though the extent of damage was unclear, the newspaper reported.
In Kano State, bandits attacked multiple villages in Shanono local government area, engaging troops in a gun battle that lasted several hours. A Nigerian Army spokesman told The Punch that the attackers were repelled and that no civilians were killed.
The newspaper also reported signs of militant displacement following the U.S. strikes, with community sources saying fighters were attempting to move into parts of Niger and Kaduna states through border areas.
By contrast, The Punch said it found no reported attacks in Sokoto State since the air strikes, with residents attributing the lull to the disruption of militant hideouts.