Suspected bandits fleeing military operations in Zamfara State have launched a series of deadly attacks across Niger State, killing five farmers and abducting 18 persons, including women and children.
Dawn Herald gathered that the incursions, which occurred between October 9 and 12, resulted in the mass displacement of residents across multiple communities.
The latest attack which happened on Monday afternoon, in Fanga community situated in Mashegu Local Government Area, based on reports Dawn Herald gathered, was as a result of the failure of the community to meet the extortion demands of the terrorists.
Similar attacks were recorded in Kigbere and Kokani communities within the Borgu LGA axis. Residents disclosed that the terrorists looted food supplies, torched commercial shops, and set several houses ablaze, rendering the affected areas completely deserted.
According to a report from Daily Trust, a resident revealed that the terrorists had previously extorted the community on five separate occasions before launching the latest deadly strike.
“Even after we have paid, they still come to attack us. This time, we have not been able to pay what they demanded, and they have insisted that if we want peace, we should raise the money and pay. Our children no longer go to school because of insecurity. We can no longer access our farms. We need government intervention”, the resident lamented.
The attack has caused panic to hotspot communities as residents flee for safety. On Monday, residents of Rukukuje in Rijau LGA abandoned their ancestral homes and passed through rivers to escape bandit attack.
At the time this report was published, the Niger State Police Command has yet to issue an official statement on the development as security operations to restore calm are reportedly ongoing.
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