John Adams in Minna
Bandits on Sunday evening attacked some communities in Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger State, killing three people. The bandits also reportedly kidnapped six others and rustled 1,200 heads of cattle.
The communities that came under attack were Beri Kargo, Kini, Anguwan Makaranta and Shema.
The bandits were said to have operated under the cover of darkness to invade the communities. They shot indiscriminately into the air to scare the villagers. They also avoided areas where military operations were ongoing.
The police, when contacted, did not react to the incident but our correspondent gathered that the state government has despatched officials of the State Emergency Management Agency to the LGA to distribute some relief materials to the victims.
Director-general of the NSEMA, Mr. Ibrahim Inga, when contacted, said: “We have marching orders from the governor to provide relief materials to the victims.”
He said three internally displaced peoples camps have been set up in Jigiwa, Gurmana and Allawa each accommodating at least 1,000 people.
Inga, who declined to comment on the casualty figure, said the items distributed to the IDPs yesterday included 80 bags of rice, 50 bags of maiz, 15 bags of beans, 60 cartons of pasta, and 150 cartons of noodles.
Other items were 15 packets of table spoons, 150 mosquito nets, 10 cartons of seasoning cubes, one bundle of mats, blankets, and some bags of salt. The village head of Kuta Yanmah, Yusuf Abdullahi, speaking on behalf of the IDPs, expressed gratitude to the state government for the gesture but pleaded with government to improve on the security architecture in the area.