Bandits kidnap 12 farmers in fresh Niger attack

Bandits on Sunday night abducted 12 farmers at the Unguwan-Yusuf in Evuti/Kpada ward of Lapai Local Government Area of Niger State.

Some of the victims who escaped said the bandits had over 10 camps in a forest bordering the Federal Capital Territory.

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“We have been attacked almost every day. The residents of all communities that border Niger State and Federal Capital Territory now live in fear,” a resident spoke in anonymity.

In the last three weeks, several farming communities in Lapai have come under attack by bandits, forcing the residents to flee their homes to safer places.

Daily Trust also gathered that bandits attacked the Ajiji community on Friday and abducted seven residents.

One of the residents, Yahaya Garba, said the attack on Ajiji came two days after bandits attacked Unguwan Gwari and kidnapped some women.

Garba said the villages attacked in the last three weeks included Duma, Fapo, Ebbo, Zago and Lafiya-Zago where no fewer than four children between the ages of 1 and 5 as well as two other people including a vigilante were shot dead and dozens kidnapped.

One of the vigilantes in the area told our correspondent on condition of anonymity that the last three weeks had been tough for security operatives in the area, saying that bandits had sustained attacks on communities.

“We are not at peace as I speak with you. We need the government’s intervention, most especially to allow people to harvest their farm produce. It is the harvesting period. Please, something should be done quickly, because right now we have over 100 people with bandits,” he said.

Efforts to reach the Niger State Police Command for a reaction was not successful as the PPRO’s number wasn’t going through up till the time of filing this report.