June 16, (THEWILL) – Gunmen, suspected to be bandits, have reportedly killed three people and abducted an unspecified number of people on Wednesday night, in Maguzawa Community, Rafi Local Government Area of Niger State.
The attack came less than 48 hours after bandits raided Gidigore community also in Rafi Local Government, on Tuesday night, where at least five were killed and dozens abducted.
Multiple sources said among those kidnapped were women and children, while many residents fled their homes to Kagara and Pandogari in Niger State as well as Birnin Gwari town in Kaduna State.
Maguzawa is about 25 km from Kagara town in Niger State and 12km from Birnin Gwari, Kaduna State.
“In Maguzawa, three persons were slaughtered and an unspecified number of people were kidnapped and some people have fled. We have seen three corpses so far and they were slaughtered. We don’t know the number of people they went away with for now”, a resident source told newsmen on Thursday.
The source said many communities in Rafi Local Government Area had been under the siege of bandits for the past three weeks.
Another resident, Ibrahim Ahmad, said his brother was among those kidnapped on Tuesday night, adding that many people had fled their homes to Kagara and Pandogari in Niger State and Birnin Gwari in Kaduna State.
“In less than three weeks, we have witnessed about 10 different attacks on various communities in Rafi Local Government. It’s almost every day. Before the Tuesday attack, last two weeks, bandits attacked Gulbi, Unguwan-Jaye and Kusherki communities where 8 persons were killed and 36 others kidnapped while one person was seriously injured. As I speak to you, they have demanded N50 million for the first set of people they kidnapped”, he said.
Ahmad said several houses and properties belonging to peasant farmers were set ablaze during Tuesday’s attack that lasted several hours.
He called for humanitarian support, especially food and children’s clothes, from generous government organisations.
The State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Wasiu Abiodun, confirmed the attack on Didigore, but had yet to confirm the latest attack.
He said, “During the attack, about three persons lost their lives and a yet-to-be ascertained number of victims were abducted, while two houses were set ablaze.”
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