Gunmen Raid Niger Communities, Kill Many, Rustle Cattle

Laleye Dipo in Minna

Gunmen believed to be Boko Haram elements have raided three communities in Munya Local Government Area of Niger State killing yet unknown number of villagers and rustling not less than 200 cattle.

The armed men also burned the Joint Security Task Force Camp in Kuchi, one of the villages attacked by the marauders.

Sources said the other villages attacked by the gunmen were Zagzaga,and Chibani where the bandits carted away many food items from the barns of the villagers.

The raids which started in the early hours of last Tuesday lasted for almost 24 hours without any resistance from security men who were reported to have taken to their heels because of the number of the gunmen.

A villager said the gunmen were about 100 and were heavily armed which made the few security men at Kuchi to  take to their heels.

The villager lamented that: “We raised the alarm through one of our contacts in Minna, to help us inform the authorities of the movement of the bandits but nothing was done. “They were there in the bush for over five hours before carrying out the attacks; the people saw them, but they were many in number and were riding on motorcycles.”

The Chairman of Munya LGA, Alhaji Aminu Najume, and the Special Adviser Homeland Security, Major General Bello Abdullahi Mohammed (rtd), could not be reached for confirmation of the story.

Also, the state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Superintendent of Police Wasiu, was also not reachable for comment.