Bandits on Wednesday night slaughtered three persons and abducted unspecified number of people in Maguzawa Community in Rafi Local Government Area of Niger State.
Multiple sources said among those kidnapped were women and children while many residents fled their homes to Kagara and Pandogari in Niger State and Birnin Gwari town in Kaduna State.
Maguzawa is about 25km from Kagara town in Niger State and 12km from Birnin Gwari, Kaduna State.
Attack on Maguzawa came less than 48 hours when bandits raided Gidigore community also in Rafi Local Government, on Tuesday night where at least five lives were lost and dozens abducted.
A source who pleaded for anonymity told Daily Trust that, “In Maguzawa, three persons were slaughtered and unspecified number of people have kidnapped and some people have fled. We have seen three corpses so far and they were slaughtered. We don’t know the number of people they went away with for now.”
Residents told Daily Trust that many communities in Rafi Local Government Area had been under the siege of bandits for the past three weeks.
A resident, Ibrahim Ahmad, said his brother was among those kidnapped on Tuesday night, adding that many people had fled their homes to Kagara and Pandogari in Niger State and Burning Gwari in Kaduna State.
“In less than three weeks, we have witnessed about 10 different attacks on various communities in Rafi Local Government. It’s almost every day. Before the Tuesday attack, last two weeks, bandits attacked Gulbi, Unguwan-Jaye and Kusherki communities where 8 persons were killed and 36 others kidnapped while one person was seriously injured. As I speak to you, they have demanded N50 million for the first set of people they kidnapped,” he said.
Ahmad said several houses and properties belonging to peasant farmers were set ablaze during the Tuesday’s attack that lasted several hours.
He called for humanitarian support from government, organisations and individuals as especially food and children wears to cushion their hardship.
Gidigore community where the latest attack was recorded is few kilometres away from Birnin Gwari town, Kaduna State, where the bandits have carried out several attacks.
The Niger State Police Command’s Public Relations Officer, DSP Wasiu Abiodun, confirmed the attack on Didigore but had yet to confirm the latest attack.
He said, “During the attack, about three persons lost their lives and a yet-to-be ascertained number of victims were abducted, while two houses were set ablaze.”