Youths Block Highway As Bandits Attack Niger Communities

Olabode Adaramola

Irate youths in their hundreds on Wednesday, blocked the major highways linking Kaduna-Birinin-Gwari-Niger to the south western part of the country in protest of four days siege by bandits on communities in Rafi and Shiroro local government areas of Niger state.

Some yet unidentified armed bandits in large numbers had on Monday, attacked Kukoki village in Shiroro local government area, displacing over 200 peresons mostly women and children some of which are presenyly,  in temporary camp in Kagara, headquarters of Rafi local government area of  the state.

Also on Sunday, some fleeing gunmen were said to have attacked Kusherki community in Rafi local government,  where they killed one person and kidnapped three others, which includes a female.

National Wires further gathered that two days after the raid on Kukoki community, the bandits again terrorised Rafin-Wayam, Rafin-Kwakwa and Dogon-Gurgu in same Rafi local government area of the state and kidnapped six people in their wake.

Residents of the affected communities said the heavily armed invaders arrived the communities in a commando-like manner in about 24 motorcycles, with each motorcycles carrying three occupants.

They said there was confusion as people, including women and children scampered in different directions for dear lives.

Further checks revealed that about 800 people were displaced in the affected communities with majority of them staying in a temporary camp in Kagara, the headquarters of Rafi local government.

Aparently angered by the development, youths in Kagara took to the streets, blocking the Tegina-Birinin-Gwari-Kaduna road in protest of the incessant attacks in some communities in the Council areas within the last one month.

The placards carrying youths chant anti government slogans, condemning government’s alleged  insensitivity to their welfares .

One of the protesters, Muktar Dauda accused government of lacking the political will to address the security situation in the area, arguing that the situation puts them in serious disadvantage as many of them have to abandoned their farms.

He thereby appealed to the federal government to urgently step in order to either reduce or put an end to the menace, which he said, has led to loss of many lives and deprived them of means of livelihood.