Niger: Policemen flees as bandits attack Kagara town, operates for five hours

Kagara town, the headquarters of Rafi Local Government Area of Niger State came under heavy attack by some daredevil gunmen suspected to be bandits.

The suspected armed men who invaded the town at exactly 5. 15 pm Wednesday, rode on over 50 motorbikes with each carrying three persons fully armed with sophisticated guns such as Ak47, hand grenades and other dangerous weapons.

The gun men have already displaced residents of the town as some women and children have taken refuge in Emir’s palace.

CAPITAL POST was told that not fewer than 12 persons have been hospitalized as a result of gunshot from the armed men.

The gunmen, it was gathered on their arrival, forced themselves into a commercial Bank in the town and carted away undisclosed amount of money just as they were shooting sparodically to scare residents.

The daredevil armed bandits have placed the town under heavy siege as the residents are now leaving in perpetual fear of the uncertainty of their lives.

Our correspondent was told that throughout their presence in Kagara, the policemen in the town took their heels as the armed men were heavily armed than the police men.

For over five hours, the armed bandits have taken over the town carrying house to house operation just as most of the residents of the town have abandoned their homes for fear of the deadly attacks on them by the gunmen.

A resident of Kawu Nakan Dutse, told CAPITAL POST in in telephone conversation that, “the heavily armed men are still in control of the town as no presence of any security agencies was noticed in here.”

According to him, the gunmen came in their numbers on motorbikes numbering 50 with each carrying three persons on their entry into the town. They were shooting sparodically to alert residents of their presence in town.

He said the armed men on their arriving into the town at 5.15 pm, drove to the only existing commercial bank and forced themselves in and carted away large amount of money from the bank.

He stated that the entire town has now turned into a ‘ghost town’ as residents of the town have abandoned their homes for fear of the attack on them by the deadly armed bandits.

Although, he explained that no casualties was recorded, he said 12 persons have been hospitalized as a result of gun shot from the bandits while shooting sparodically to scare residents.

He said for over 5 hours of their operations in the town, “we only notice military plane hovering on air but they could not do anything for fear of attacknon innocent people.”

“The few mobile policemen that were sighted were drafted from a neighbouring village that are on duty in the community and they cannot even confront the bandits as they were armed than the mobile policemen”

As at the time of filing in this report, Kagara town and its neighbouring community are still under siege as sound of guns were being heard from a far distance.

However, the police public Relations officer (PPRO), Niger State command, Abiodun Wasiu ASP could not be reached for comment as several calls to his phone was not responded.