14 shot dead as gunmen raid Niger village

The Niger police command says 14 persons have been killed by gunmen at Ukuru Village in Mariga local government area of the state.

Wasiu Abiodun, the command’s public relations officer, who broke the news on Thursday, said around 3:30 on Wednesday, the command was informed that gunmen had invaded the village, opened fire on the natives and rustled several cattle in the process.

He said at the end of the shooting, 14 people were confirmed dead while five others sustained various degrees of injury.

He said the injured are already receiving treatment at Mariga General Hospital.

The police spokesman added that policemen and local vigilante were on the trail of the alleged cattle rustlers.

The attack comes one week after Boko Haram insurgents released a footage of some of its members observing Eid-Al-Adha prayer at a location said to be in Niger state.

Earlier, troops of operation Sahel Sanity says it has recorded another breakthrough in the ongoing operations against banditry in the north-western part of the country.

In a statement, Bernard Onyeuko, acting director, defence media operation, said the troops eliminated a suspected bandit, arrested informants and recovered rustled cattle.

Onyeuko said the troops deployed in Batsari local government area of Katsina state, on August 5, foiled a coordinated attack on residents of Zamfarawa Kagara village in the state.

According to him, all the rustled cows have been successfully recovered and handed over to their rightful owners.

The operation spokesperson also said troops deployed at forward operation base (FOB) Dangulbi arrested a suspected bandit informant named Rabiu Salisu on August 6.

He said the arrest followed credible information on his “nefarious activities” with bandits operating in the area.

“Furthermore, troops recovered 17 cows from suspected cattle rustlers at Dogon Ruwa village.

“The cows were recovered from suspected bandits who abandoned them and fled as troops stormed the village following information of their activities from reliable sources,” he said.