The Niger State Police Command has confirmed a series of deadly attacks by suspected bandits on communities in Agwara and Borgu local government areas of the state, resulting in the death of at least 42 people and the abduction of an unconfirmed number of residents, including children.
Confirming the incidents, the Police Public Relations Officer, Wasiu Abiodun, said the command received distressing reports at about 9:00 pm on Saturday night that armed bandits have attacked several communities, killing over 30 people and abducting many others.
“In an attack, at about 4:30 pm on Saturday, suspected bandits from the National Park forest in Kabwe District attacked Kasuwan Daji, located in Demo village through Kabwe. They killed over 30 people, burnt down the market, looted shops and looted food items,” Abiodun said.
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He said a joint security team has visited the affected areas, while efforts are underway to rescue the kidnapped victims and restore normalcy.
However, residents said attacks had continued for more than a week, particularly in Agwara communities, where there was little or no security presence. A local source revealed that at least 37 people were killed in Kasuwan Daji near Papiri, while five others lost their lives in Kaima village.
According to the source, many villagers including children were kidnapped during the raid. Some of the abducted children are said to be male and female students of St. Mary's Private Catholic Primary and Secondary School, Papiri in Agwarra Local Government Area.
Appealing for immediate intervention of the government and security agencies, the source said, “They have been coming out of the forest for almost a week, openly attacking villages as there is no security here. Just yesterday, they burnt a market and abducted many people, including children.”
The attacks were also confirmed by Stephen Kabirat, communications director of the Catholic Diocese of Kontagora, who said the militants had recently attacked a Catholic mission house in the area.
“Our parish priest narrowly escaped kidnapping when terrorists attacked the Mission House three days ago. They destroyed some religious objects, made away with two motorcycles and cash worth over N200,000,” Kabirat said.
He said that although the priest escaped, several villagers, including children, were abducted during the attack.
Another resident lamented that many villagers have been forced to flee their homes, adding that some families, including those whose children were abducted, are now sleeping in the bushes out of fear.
As investigations continue, residents of the affected communities are calling on the state and federal governments to immediately deploy security personnel to the area to prevent further attacks and ensure the release of the abducted people.
