National Wire About Nigerians, Nigerian Business and Other Stories
Olabode Adaramola
One killed, 15 others injured in midnight attack in Niger community as Government promises to tackle infiltration of Kidnappers, Cattle rustlers.
Uneasy calm reigned at the weekend in Niger state following a midnight attack by some suspected cattle rustlers in Angwar Umadi Village in Shiroro local government area of the state that has left one person dead and 15 others suffering varying degrees of injuries.
The deceased, a 19- year old Senior Secondary School (SSS11) student was shot at a closed range by the heavily armed rustlers who operated in a Commando lile manner when the Boy allegedly came out of his Father’s house to urinate, unknown to him that the armed bandits were operating.
National Wire however gathered that no fewer than about 15 others who feared for dear lives and were trying to scamper into safety in different directions as a result of the invasion of the hoodlums, were either shot or inflicted matchet cuts by the bandits and are currently receiving treatment at the Erena Dispensary.
One of the eye witnesses in the troubled Village, Isaiah Baga who narrated the incidence to our correspondent said the rustlers, numbering about 40, arrived the village at about 12am on Sunday and operated for about one hour.
He further narrated that no fewer than about 212 cattle and several numbers of goats and sheep were also carted away, including Seven brand new motorcycles.
According to Baga, the attack was coming four days after some armed mobile policemen came to patrol the area, saying that “we have reported the latest attack to the appropriate authorities but we are yet to hear from them”.
it was further learnt by our Correspondent in the state that the latest attack on the village was about the 20th attacks on communities in Shiroro local government area of the state with over 100 people killed in its wake while over 1,500 cattle and sheep were carted away by the fleeing bandits who were in the habits of escaping into the forest to escape arrest by security personnel.
Further checks revealed that yesterday’s attack was coming 24hours after the state government had expressed the readiness of the security agencies in the state to tackle the upsurge in cases of kidnapping and cattle rustling in some parts of Rafi and Shiroro local governments of the state.
The Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism, Mr Jonathan Vatsa, in a press statement had stated that the government was worried by the activities of people with questionable characters operating within the notorious Birni Gwari forest, kaduna state which bordered with Niger state.
Mr Vatsa said the criminals were those chased out from Zamafara state by the ongoing military operation and have infiltrated the state through the Birni Gwari axis to carry out the nefarious acts of Kidnapping and cattle rustling.
The Commissioner stated further that to ensure the protection lives and properties, the government has mobilized security agencies to curb the trends.
He however appeal to the people of the area to co-operate with the security agents by offering useful information that will lead to the arrest of the criminals terrorizing innocent people of the area.
