Bandits Attack Niger Community, Kill 43 Villagers, Abduct 170 in Shiroro Raid
Some gun men believed to be armed bandits in the early hours of Thursday stormed Baga Community in Shiroro local government of Niger State launched a deadly assault on locals killing fortythree (43) villagers just as One hundred and seventy others were said to have been abducted.
Also,the dare-devil armed men set several houses ablaze, rustling over one thousand (1000) cattle and other animals from the villagers.
The gun men were said to have invaded the community on large convoy of motorcycles with each of the motorcycle carrying four persons wielding dangerous weapons even as they also used bombs to wreak monumental havoc in the villages
It was reliably gathered that many of the villagers who took to their heels to take refuge in the bush were gunned down, while many others were rounded up and abducted.
It was also gathered that the gunmen are in their large number are believed to have entered the community from neighbouring Kaduna State to wreak unprecedented havoc
As a result of the deadly attack on the community by the armed men,the entire community and three other neighbouring communities Erena,Chukuba and Baga have been deserted.
It was reliably informed that the armed men earlier wrote a letter to a community leader informing him of their inversion on his community or he should make available the sum of fifty millions of Naira (N50 million) to them.
“ Not until the inversion of our community by the armed bandits that we were told of the letter written by the armed men that they are coming to launch an attack on our community” Annas Saidu a youth leader in one of the affected communities told this reporter.
“Some men of the local vigilante members who tried to repel the gunmen were shot and sustained varying degrees of injuries and rushed to the hospital for treatment.
According to him, “We can see thick smoke in different parts of the communities, which is an indication that Baga and neighbouring villages had been set ablaze.”
In a swift reaction, our Correspondent gathered that security personnel have been drafted to the area to rescue those abducted and to keep peace in the area.
Chairman of the Local government, Mr. Ishyaku Bawa, confirmed the incident in a telephone conversation with Journalists.
He declared, “Yes, bandits invaded the community, and some villagers were killed, while some were injured.
“We are presently in the hospital to attend to those injured, and I cannot give more details for now,” the chairman declared
