From John Adams, Minna
With barely four days after armed bandits invaded the Joint Security TaskForce Camp in Allawa in Shiroro local government area of Niger state, killing five Soldiers and a Mobile Policeman, the entire Allawa community has been sacked by gunmen.
The gunmen who were said to be numbering about 100, arrived the community at about 2:00am Sunday morning devoid of their usual sporadic shooting into the air to scare the people and operated in a relax atmosphere for over four hours.
A source close to the community told Daily Sun on telephone that the entire cattle and sheep in the community were taken away by the gunmen.
According to him, though nobody was killed, the people flee in different direction into the bush as the gunmen freely moved from house to house and dispossessing the people of their belongings, including food stuff and other valuables.
A pregnant woman who ran into the bush for safety was said to given birth in the bush but the gunmen were said to have displayed some level of sympathy as they asked some women to attend to her while their looting went on.
The entire Allawa community is now deserted as the people have all flee to neighboring Pandogari town where they are currently taking refuge in primary school and other open spaces without food and water.
“As I talk to you now the situation is very pathetic, the whole community is empty. The people have left the town without taking any of their belongings along with them”, our source said.
He pointed out that after the attack on the Joint Security TaskForce Camp few days ago where five Soldiers and a Mobile Policeman were killed, there is no single presence of security agent in the entire Allawa community which made the invasion an easy one for the gunmen.
“The people are helpless because there is no help coming from anywhere and that is why the people have to flee to the neighboring Pandogari town. The government have abandoned the people to their faith, and it is sad”, he lamented.
It could be recalled that 24 hours after the killing of the five soldiers and a Policeman on Thursday morning by armed bandits, the Joint Security TaskForce Camp in Allawa and Basa in Shiroro local government area were shut down and the entire Security agents moved out.
No reason was however given for their action but a source close to the one of the security agencies in the state, said it is to enable the government come up with a better strategy to fight the bandits.