‘Three killed, 25 abducted’ as bandits attack communities in Niger state

Bandits have reportedly killed three persons and abducted 25 others during attacks on communities in Tafa LGA of Niger state.

Confirming the attacks to TheCable on Friday, Danladi Iyah, chairman of Tafa LGA, said Garam was the first village attacked by the bandits on December 24.

Two days later, the bandits struck again and invaded Kuduru village where seven residents were kidnapped.

Kuduru is the boundary town between Niger state and Bwari Area Council in the federal capital territory (FCT).

On December 28, the attackers stormed Azu, another village in the area, and killed two people.

Iyah said the attackers usually invade the villages at about 11 p.m., adding that most of the bandits are coming from Kaduna state.

“At Garam, nine people were kidnapped, while one person was shot dead and at Kuduru, seven persons were abducted but no life was lost there,” he said.

“At Azu, which occurred yesterday, nine were kidnapped, two were shot dead and three got injured.

“When such kind of operation takes place, they (bandits) normally pick anybody they see.

“They usually strike around 11 to 11:30 pm. The attack on the Garam community happened a day before Christmas, that is on the 24th.

“The bandits attacked Kuduru three days ago, while Azu was invaded yesterday night at about 11:30 p.m., the normal time they usually attack.

“We have gone around today along with all the security outfits to see how we can control, maybe to avoid the repetition of such incident.

“You know, it’s not as if they (bandits) are staying here, they do come from Kaduna axis to come and strike then go back. So, the first thing we need to do is to look at their routes, once we get their routes, then we will be able to position ourselves.

“ Everything is in control now, the securities have actually made themselves available for us to see that it does not repeat itself again.

“Yes, there are security operatives in the affected communities currently. The injured persons are doing well now, they have been discharged from the health facility.”

When contacted, Wasiu Abiodun, police spokesperson in Niger, said he would “verify and revert” but has yet to reach out with details at the time of this report.