Friday, March 22, 2024 –Bandits have killed 21 people including the village head in Madaka, an agrarian community in Rafi Local Government Area of Niger State.
Residents said the attackers, in their
numbers, raided the market around 3pm on Thursday, March 21, 2024, when the
commercial activities were in full swing and started shooting at the crowd.
Many people were said to have sustained
various degrees of injury and were receiving treatment at the IBB Specialist
Hospital, in Minna.Dozens, including children, were also reportedly
kidnapped while motorcycles, cars, houses, shops and goods belonging to traders
were reportedly burnt down by the bandits.
Residents said the Madaka attack came
a day after gunmen attacked Pangu Gari, a neighboring village, killing the
district head and four other people.
Sources said after the daytime attack,
bandits returned in the night and laid siege to the community, shooting
sporadically.
Sources alleged that the
attackers were on the mission to reclaim the cattle recently recovered from
them during air operations in the area and rustle more livestock.
The District Head, Alhaji Isah Bawale confirmed the incident to the
Daily Trust on Friday.
The Secretary, Coalition of
Shiroro Association, Saidu Salihu described the attack as severe and
unfortunate.
He called on the federal and
state governments to renew efforts in the fight against insecurity in Shiroro,
Munya and Rafi LGAs.
Residents also decried
absence of security operatives despite that the area had come under attack
several times in the last five years.
The Niger State Commissioner
for Homeland security, Brig Gen. Bello Abdullahi Mohammed (retd) confirmed the
attack to our correspondent on the telephone.
Though he did not give
details of the attack, he said the state government was working in
collaboration with security agencies to put and end to the incessant attacks on
farming communities in the stat
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