June 11, 2023

Bandits have killed 15 farmers and abducted scores of people including women and girls from various communities in Rafi Local Government Area of Niger State.

Channels Television reports that the attack which happened on Saturday comes a day after 13 members of vigilante were killed and many villagers were abducted in Kusharki village.

Confirming the attack, a community leader in one of the villages, who did not want his name mentioned for security reasons claimed that the bandits have resumed attacks with full force in some villages in the local government.

Calling on the state government and security agencies to come to their aid to ameliorate their hardship, he said that the community has been under siege by bandits in the last two weeks as the situation had worsened.

Also the Senator representing Niger East Senatorial District, Mohammed Sani Musa, confirmed the attack to Channels Television on Sunday.

The lawmaker expressed concern that the bandits had resumed attacks in four local government councils of Rafi, Paikoro, Munya and Shiroro that form part of his constituency.

He is however confident that the administration of President Bola Tinubu would soon deal with such challenges.

When contacted, the State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Wasiu Abiodun, confirmed the attack.

He however could not ascertain the casualty figure.

Abiodun, a Deputy Superintendent of Police, said police in collaboration with the military have been dispatched to Yakila, Tegina, Kagara, Pandogari, Kusherki and other villages to restore normalcy in the affected areas.