No fewer than 42 persons have been killed following coordinated attacks by suspected bandits on communities in Agwara and Borgu Local Government Areas of Niger State, with an unspecified number of persons, including schoolchildren, abducted.
A reliable source disclosed that the attackers had been raiding villages in Agwara for over a week without resistance, allegedly due to the absence of security presence in the affected areas.
According to the source, 37 people were killed in Kasuwan Daji near Papiri, while five others lost their lives in Kaima village. Several residents were abducted, including pupils and students of St. Mary’s Private Catholic Primary and Secondary Schools, Papiri.
The source appealed to the Niger State Government and security agencies to urgently intervene to prevent further loss of lives.
Confirming the attack on the Catholic Mission House, the Director of Communications, Catholic Diocese of Kontagora, Rev. Fr. Stephen Kabirat, said over 40 people were killed, while several others were taken captive.
He added that the Parish Priest narrowly escaped abduction when the assailants stormed the Mission House three days earlier.
A resident of one of the affected communities said many villagers whose children were abducted are now sleeping in the bush out of fear, even after returning from nearby locations.
Also confirming the incident, the Niger State Police Command stated that at about 9:00 p.m. on Saturday, it received reports that suspected bandits attacked Kasuwan Daji at Demo Village via Kabe, killing over 30 persons.
According to the police, the attackers, believed to have come from the National Park Forest in Kabe District, burnt the market, looted shops, and carted away food items.
The police added that a joint security team has visited the scene, while efforts are ongoing to rescue the abducted victims and restore calm to the affected communities.