From John Adams, Minna
For three days running, armed bandits have intensified their raid on communities in Munya, Niger State, the latest being the invasion of Zagaga community in the early hours of Wednesday, where two victims were killed and 66 others abducted.
Among those killed are two youths providing voluntary security services in the community due to the absence of security agents, and a local vigilante who was hacked to death.
Three other youths sustained gunshot injuries, one of them having his right leg broken, and are currently at a government facility in Minna, the state capital, receiving treatments.
According to a source close to the community who spoke to our correspondent on phone this morning, two children of the village head, Musa Umaru, two wives of the counsellor representing Zagaga Ward, Saleh Adamu, are among the 66 people, including women and children that were abducted by the bandits.
The bandits, numbering over 80, stormed the community at about 1:00 am, shooting sporadically to announce their arrival and in the process shooting their ill-equipped victims at close range, reports say.
The raid, which lasted until 4:00 am Wednesday without resistance, saw the bandits break into no fewer than 11 shops and a number of homes, where they looted provisions and other food items.
Our source said the victims, especially women, were used to evacuate all the looted items in sacks as they matched them through the bush path, heading towards a place called Mangoro and Pole.
For the four hours that the operation lasted, our source said no security agent came to the rescue of the community, despite communications with them throughout the operation.
‘We informed the security agents and we were communicating with them but no response. Up until this morning (7:00 am) we have not seen anybody, either from the government or the security agents.
‘The entire community is now deserted because we don’t know what will happened next. The remaining people in the community have being moving out since in the morning with their properties,’ he said.
It could be recalled that the military in April 23 this year, closed down it camp stationed in the community since 2018, after armed bandits numbering about 70 invaded the camp and killed the RSM and injured others.
The military were also said to have, during the bloody attack which community source said lasted for over three hours, killed a number of the bandits.
Ever since the military shot down it camp in the community, there has been no security presence in the area, with the people relying on ill-equipped local vigilantes for security.
Although the community has a police outpost with two personnel, there is no accommodation for them to be used as an office. They are also said to be ill-equipped.