‘Three kidnapped’ as bandits attack Niger state community

Bandits have reportedly abducted three persons during an attack on Garam, a village in Tafa LGA of Niger state.

TheCable understands that the incident occurred at about 11 pm on Monday.

The attacks continued days later as the gunmen invaded two other villages of Azu and Kuduru in the LGA.

A source in the community said the bandits abducted a man, his wife and their child during the attack.

According to the source, many residents in the community have been abandoning their homes to safer regions.

“Due to the fear of bandits, most churches did not observe crossover service on December 31st. Some churches observed the service between 5 pm and 8 pm. It was only MFM that observed the service from 11 pm till 4 am,” the source told TheCable.

“Though soldiers patrol the community during the day, it has not stopped bandits from attacking the people at night.

“On January 2, an Igala man was attacked. The bandits kidnapped the entire family. They came with their tools to force the gate of the house open. They operated for 2 to 3 hours. The sounds from their guns forced the vigilante to flee. The soldiers arrived after they had left.”

The source added that the military personnel stationed at Azu, a neigbouring community, arrived at Garam after the attackers had left.

When contacted, Danladi Iyah, chairman of Tafa LGA, said he would verify and get back but was yet to do so.

Efforts to reach Wasiu Abiodun, police spokesperson in Niger, for comments on the incident were unsuccessful as he did not respond to calls or messages.