BREAKING: Kill 42 Killed As Gunmen Attack Agwarra And Borgu LGAs, Abduct Villagers
Barely two weeks after 230 abducted children and teachers were rescued and reunited with their families, suspected terrorists have attacked several communities in Agwarra and Borgu Local Government Areas of Niger State, killing no fewer than 42 persons and abducting an unspecified number of villagers, including children.
Reliable sources said the attackers had been operating in parts of Agwarra LGA for about one week without resistance before launching coordinated assaults on multiple communities.
Speaking to journalists, a parent, Smaila Livinus, lamented the absence of security in Agwarra and Borgu LGAs, alleging that the assailants had attacked communities freely over the past week.
“They killed 37 people in Kasuwan Daji near Papiri, another five in Kaima village, and abducted many people, including children,” he said.
According to Livinus, some of the abducted children are pupils and students of St. Mary’s Private Catholic Primary and Secondary Schools, Papiri, in Agwarra LGA.
“Government and security agencies should come to our aid. There is serious crisis across the river where students were abducted. They have been coming out of the forest for over a week now, wreaking havoc in our villages,” he added.
He further disclosed that on Saturday alone, the attackers burnt a market and abducted several villagers, including children.
Confirming the attack on the Catholic mission house, the Director of Communications of the Catholic Diocese of Kontagora, Rev. Fr. Stephen Kabirat, said over 40 persons were killed during the attacks, while several others were taken into captivity.
“Our parish priest narrowly escaped abduction when the attackers stormed the mission house three days ago. They destroyed religious items, carted away two motorcycles and over ₦200,000 in cash,” he said.
“They were searching for the priest, but he managed to escape. Unfortunately, some villagers, including children, were abducted.”
Another resident, Abuka Yohanna, appealed to relevant authorities, stating that insecurity had forced many villagers to flee their homes.
“As I speak with you, some villagers whose children were previously abducted have been sleeping in the bush since their return because of renewed attacks,” he said.
Confirming the incident, the Niger State Police Command said it received reports at about 9:00pm on Saturday that suspected bandits attacked communities in the area, killing over 30 persons and abducting an unspecified number of victims.
In a statement, the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Wasiu Abiodun, said that at about 4:30pm on Saturday, suspected bandits from the National Park forest along Kabe District invaded Kasuwan Daji, located at Demo village via Kabe.
“They killed over 30 persons, burnt the market, looted shops, and carted away food items,” the statement said.
He added that a joint security team had visited the affected communities and that efforts were ongoing to rescue the abducted victims.
“Further developments will be communicated,” the statement concluded.
