By Desire Emmanuel
At least 35 people were killed and several others abducted when bandits attacked a market in Niger State, the state police command announced on Sunday, January 4.
Spokesman of the command, Wasiu Abiodun, said the bandits stormed Kasuwan Daji market in Demo village around 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, burning stalls and looting food items.
“Over 35 victims lost their lives during the attack, and some persons were also kidnapped. Efforts are ongoing to rescue the kidnapped victims,” Abiodun said.
Witnesses said the gunmen arrived on motorcycles and opened fire indiscriminately. They said the violence was part of a series of raids that began on Friday in the nearby villages Agwarra and Borgu.
“Women and children were not spared,” Dauda Shakulle, who was wounded while fleeing, told Reuters News Agency
“There has been no presence of security forces since the attacks began. We are currently recovering corpses,” he added.
Another witness, Khalid Pissa, said the bandits wielding machetes and guns attacked communities in Kasuwan Daji, and also in nearby Chukama and Shanga. Pissa put the death toll at ‘over 40.’
The attack came weeks after gunmen seized more than 300 children and staff of a Catholic school in the state in the state. Those victims were released after nearly a month in captivity.
Such banditry has escalated across northwestern and central Nigeria, with armed groups carrying out mass killings and kidnappings in rural communities. Security forces have struggled to contain the violence despite ongoing operations.
