About 32 people have been reportedly kidnapped while 2,000 cattle were rustled in Kusuku community in Shiroro Local government area of Niger state.
The chairman of the Shiroro LG, Comrade Sulaiman Dauda Chukwuba, raised the alarm at the weekend during an interactive session with journalists in Minna.
He disclosed that the incident ocurred at about 3:00pm on Saturday, when the victims were going to a village market in four commuter Landrover vehicles that were usually used to convey people especially commuters and traders alike in the difficult terrains of the council areas and its environs.
The council boss further disclosed that the fleeing bandits-cum unidentified gunmen, were said to have been prior to the incident, chased away from Munya Local Government Area of the state.
He added that scores of the armed bandits, heavily armed with dangerous weapons, were sighted at a community called Kusasu in Shiroro LGA, from about 6:00am on Saturday, up till about 6:00pm at a river bank, trying to cross the river that leads to Shiroro Hydro Power Dam and River Kaduna, with their rustlled cattle also in large numbers.
Chukuba said, “it is the boundary between Kaduna State and Munya and Shiroro Local Government Areas of Niger state.
“We are calling on the government and the security agencies to come to our aides because of the dangers posed to us by the forests in Alawa, in the local government as well as the forests in Sarkin Pawa, to Kusaba forest and Dogo Gona, all in Munya LGA, of Niger state.”
He explained further that, “the fleeing armed bandits also had a very fierce gun duel with a detachment of Mobile Policemen, deployed to Malfa, but upon the realization that the police had a superior fire power over them, the bandits called for reinforcement from somewhere, after which the bandits shared themselves into three persons each on about 53 motorcycles and were able to repel the gun battle by the detachment of Mobile policemen, numbering about 38 at Erena area of Shiroro LGA, on Saturday.
“On the return of the armed bandits’ reinforcement, the police went back because of the perceived shortage of arms and ammunition to further confront the hoodlums headlong and fire for fire”.
When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer in the state, DSP Muhammad Abubakar, confirmed the incident.
He said, “there was an exchange of gun fire between the police and the armed bandits at Malfa village in Shiroro Local government of Niger state on Saturday when the bandits were coming from Kaduna state and the police operatives were able to repel them back”.
He, however, did not confirm the kidnap of some 32 persons or the rustlings of some 2,000 cattle.
