35 kidnapped, one injured, scores of cattle rustled in Niger

By ROMOKE W. AHMAD

Thirty-five people have been reportedly kidnapped and one other injured while an unknown number of cattle were rustled by armed bandits during an attack on Chiri Boda and Fuka in Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger State.

The latest attack, according to sources from the area, occurred on Saturday.

Many residents of the villages have fled to the forest for safety.

Chairman, Niger Concern Citizens, Alh. Muhammad Awaisu Wana, disclosed this while speaking to journalists in Minna the state capital.

Wana, who said how bitter and worried the people of the area are, lamented that at the moment ten out of fifteen wards in Shiroro Local Government Area are under the control of bandits.

He said, “the five wards that are not under bandits’ control are Gusoro Zumba, Bongajiya, Bina, Sheyi lapa and Ubandoma and they are mostly occupied by the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) from various wards seeking refuge.

He also said that eight out of the wards under the control of bandits are in riverine areas.

He, therefore, pleaded with the federal government to as a matter of urgency come to their aid to enable them to return home and start preparing for this year’s rainy season farming.

Wana, who disclosed that the IDPs in the local government are more than 80,000 now, said that there is a need for the National Emergency Management Agency NEMA to supply those IDPs with the necessary support to ameliorate their hardship.

The Niger State Police command’s Public Relations Officer, DPS Wasiu Abiodun, when contacted said he will get back to our reporter later. (Daily Trust)