Niger residents flee as hoodlums raid community, kill 1

Residents of Muhammad Inuwa Wushishi Housing Estate in Minna, Niger State, have been forced to flee their homes following a violent raid by hoodlums suspected to be artisanal miners.

The attackers damaged approximately 50 houses and vehicles and warned residents to vacate their homes, threatening to return. The raid occurred a week after the community reported damage from mining activities to the police.

Initial reports indicated that about 100 hoodlums overwhelmed the police until reinforcement arrived, to drive them out of the community.

John Regan, a resident, said that the hoodlums, armed with cutlasses and other weapons, sought revenge against the community for their efforts to halt nearby mining operations.

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Mrs Babalola Balkisu, another victim, recounted that she was at work when she received a call informing her of the break-in at her home, hence that she reported that the attackers broke her windows but were unable to enter the house because her son locked the doors. Balkisu expressed concern over the community’s growing insecurity due to persistent illegal mining.

A community leader, Dr Ya-Aba Mohammed, attributed the attack to recent efforts to stop mining activities in the area.

He said, “The miners have been a growing concern due to their frequent presence in the community. Just yesterday, we heard cries for help and found that two women had their phones stolen by armed men.”

The Spokesperson for the Niger State Police Command, SP Wasiu Abiodun, confirmed the incident, saying that at approximately 2:00 p.m., police received a distress call about  thugs attacking houses in the area. “Patrol teams, led by the DPO of Maitumbi, were dispatched to the scene and successfully dispersed the attackers,” he said.

He added that one person, whose identity remains unknown, was killed by the hoodlums and the corpse was transported to the general hospital morgue.

SP Abiodun assured that normalcy has been restored in the area. An investigation is ongoing to apprehend the perpetrators, and additional patrols have been deployed to prevent further incidents.