Gunmen kill 35 in 2-hour raid on Niger village

Gunmen suspected to be cattle rustlers killed 35 people in Shiroro local  government area of Niger state on Tuesday evening.

A village head in the area, who pleaded anonymity, told NAN on Wednesday that the victims included the district head of Allawa in Shiroro, a police inspector, and 33 others.

The community leader said the attackers, numbering about 40 and using machine guns and other dangerous weapons, were believed to be Fulani herdsmen.

He said the operation lasted some two hours during which the attackers set more than 25 houses ablaze and injured many.

The village head said many of the villagers had been displaced as a result of the incident.

Confirming the incident, Bala Elkana, the police public relations officer in the state, said the command had yet to confirm the number of casualties.

Elkana said a policeman was among those killed and added that the incident occurred in the night.

He said because of the lack of communication between Allawa and other parts of the state, the security agencies could not respond on time.

“The commissioner of police, Alhaji Abubakar Marafa, has dispatched the divisional police officer in Kagara and the police area commander in Minna to the troubled village to assess the situation and bring back a report.’’

The army has been battling with cattle rustlers in Shiroro and recently recovered 184 cows and 83 sheep from suspected cattle rustlers.