Armed bandits have killed 15 farmers, 13 vigilante members and kidnapped several women and girls from various communities in Rafi Local Government Area of Niger State.
The farmers were killed on Saturday, June 10, 2023, just a day after 13 vigilante members were killed and many villagers abducted in Kusherki village.
A community leader in one of the villages who confirmed the attack but preferred hidden identity for security reasons, claimed that the bandits have resumed attacks with full force in some villages in the local government.
Speaking with Channels TV, the community leader who called on the state government and security agencies to come to their aid to ameliorate their hardship, said that the community had been under siege by bandits in the last two weeks as the situation had worsened.
The Senator representing Niger East Senatorial District, Mohammed Sani Musa, also confirmed the attack on Sunday, and 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.
However, Senator Musa expressed confidence that President Bola Tinubu administration would soon deal with security challenges in the state and Nigeria at large.
Spokesperson of the Niger State Police Command, DSP Wasiu Abiodun, who confirmed the attack, however could not say the exact casualty figure.
The PPRO said that the 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.