Bandits Kill 13 Villagers In Niger Communities

The Niger Police Command has confirmed the death of 13 people in two Niger villages in Shiroro Local Government Area of the state.

A statement issued on Thursday by the Spokesperson for the Command, DSP Wasiu Abiodun, said the deceased villagers were killed while harvesting their crops in Nukundna and Wurukuchi villages on Tuesday, adding that details of the attack “are still sketchy as a result of the difficult terrain of the villages”.

Abiodun said the Divisional Police Officer in the area has led men of the Tactical Team of the force to begin a manhunt for the bandits.

He assured the people of the state that the police will continue to protect the lives and property of the citizens but solicited for information that could lead to the arrest of the bandits.

Meanwhile, Governor Abubakar Sani Bello says the recent attacks in some communities of Shiroro local government area of Niger State by a terrorist group, that left scores of villagers dead, as insane and unacceptable.

Governor Sani Bello said the act was barbaric and inhumane, stressing that efforts would be intensified by government and security agencies to ensure that desperate terrorists, who are on the run, are captured and brought to justice.

While commiserating with the victims of the affected communities, especially in Nakudna and Wurukuchi, the Governor said that he shared in their pains and grief, promising that more decisive actions would be taken to guarantee the lives of the inhabitants of the communities.

However, the Governor said that the worrisome part of the security challenges is the inability of the farmers to harvest their farm produce which may likely trigger food scarcity in the state.

“We are worried by the nefarious activities of these terrorists, desperation has been noticed amongst them as a result of the onslaught of security agents which has made them to target unsuspecting rural inhabitants.

“It is now time that full-fledged war should be declared on these unscrupulous elements since they have been proscribed as terrorists. We cannot just allow these people to continue with this massacre”, he said.

The Governor said that a coordinated and simultaneous attack on the terrorists by security agents in the affected states will go a long way towards achieving success.

He prayed for the repose of the souls of those killed, quick recovery to those injured.

Two communities in Shiroro local government area were reported to have been attacked recently when most of the villagers were on their farms to harvest their farm produce. 

The attacks led to the killing of many, houses and food bans were also burnt.