From John Adams, Minna
Members of about ten communities in Munya local government area of Niger state that were invaded by armed bandits in the early hours of Monday have alleged that majority of the bandits could not speak Hausa nor Fulani but a language the communities said they could not understand.
The communities also disclosed that contrary to their initial fears that the bandits invaded the communities to either kill or kidnap them which led to them fleeing their homes, the bandits only used the communities as transit.
Recalled that about 60 fully armed bandits invaded some communities in Munya local government area of the state in the early hours of Monday, displacing well over 400 people.
“They asked us to show them direction to Abuja through the bush path. They were only asking of direction to Abuja, they don’t even understand Hausa or Fulani language, the language they were speaking resemble French”, a source close to one of the communities who had an encounter with the bandits told our correspondent in a telephone interview.
He pointed out further that “when you look at them you will know that they are not from Nigeria, most of them were carrying long hair and tight at the back like women. The came on foot and not on motorcycles like they are used to.
“We were returning from the farm when four of us encountered them at a village called Solon Kabula and they stopped us. We started begging them but they told us to stand up and began to ask us to show them way to Abuja through the bush path.
“The only thing we could understand from them was Abuja which they were calling. After pointing to a direction to them, they asked us to go. We left them in the bush there”, he added.
According to our source, the bandits were seen up till 7:30pm on Monday, an indication that they may be sleeping in the bush there, adding that “they are staying in a small forest close to Sohon Kabula, and sure they are still there”, he added.
Meanwhile the Member representing Munya constituency in the state house of assembly, Hon. Andrew Doma has alleged that has not been any form of assistance from the state in terms of security since the escalation of attacks by the bandits in the area.
The lawmaker said the communities that have suffered from bandits attack in recent time have now resigned their faith to God and local vigilantes for protection from the bandits.
According to him, “the communities have not felt any government presence sine all these attacks have been going on, with the killings and Kidnapping on a daily bases. We are only doing what we can and with the help of local Vigilante.
“The situation very worrisome, there no help coming from anywhere and so is a situation of everybody to himself and God for us all. The security agencies are claiming that they don’t get support from the government and the government is claiming that everything is being done to address the security situation”.
The lawmaker’s submission is coming on the heals of government claims that it has expended well over N2billion in the last two years to support security agencies in the state to fight Insecurity, and another N3billion on Internally Displaced People (IDPs) across the state.