Armed bandits overpowers vigilante group, killed 17 in Niger community

Some daredevil gunmen suspected to be armed bandits stormed Duku town in Rijau Local government area of Niger State and killed 17 men of vigilante groups in the area just as seven others including a mobile police man was killed in Kagara town of Rafi Local government area.

The daredevil armed men who invaded the community in the early hours of Thursday, wreack deadly havoc on the entire Duku town killing the vigilante group that came to revolt their deadly attack.

CAPITAL POST was told that the gunmen numbering over 50 invaded the town on convoy of motorbikes with each carrying three persons were armed to teeth and on their arrival into the town, the men of vigilante groups in the community mobilize themselves to resist them.

It was further gathered that the bandits out numbered the vigilante groups and overpowered them led to the killing of the men of the vigilante group.

As a result of the deadly attacks on the town, local residents of the community have deserted their respective homes for fear of further attacks on them.

Unconfirmed reports had it that not fewer than 35 persons have been abducted by the gunmen mostly pregnant women and nursing mothers in the area.

The armed men, it was gathered that throughout their operations that lasted for several hours witnessed no presence of any security agents apart from the men of the community vigilante groups that mobilize themselves to confront them.

An eye witness who craved anonymity told CAPITAL POST, saying: “And we have lost 17 of our young vigilante groups”

On Wednesday, Kagara town of Rafi Local Government suffered another deadly attacks by armed men that operated for over six hours which at the end, seven persons including a mobile police man was killed by the armed bandits with undisclosed amount of money carted away from the First Bank branch in the area.

Also, 12 persons sustained injuries from gun shots from the bandits and were rushed to hospital for treatment.

Some part of Niger State are under serious siege of the activities of armed banditry in the last two years without any relieves in sight.

The affected areas that suffered attacks of the armed bandits with jeavy casualties includes the Northern and Eastern Senatorial districts of the state with predominantly farmers.

Not fewer than four thousands have peesons have been displaced and are taking refuge in four Internally Displaced Persons Camp which spread across Kuta, Gwada, and Kagara towns.

As at the time of filing this report, it was gathered that Duku and other neighbouring villages are now ghost town as most of the local community have deserted their homes for fear of another round of deadly attacks on them by the gun men.

The police Public Relation Officer (PPRO), in the state police command, Abiodun Wasiu (ASP) could not be reached for his comment as calls to his phone were not responded.