•Many abducted, vehicles, shops, goods burnt
From John Adams, Minna
Armed Bandits numbering well over 50 on Thursday, invaded a village market in Madaka community in Rafi Local Government Area of Niger State and killed no fewer than 22 persons in one of the most brutal attacks in recent times.
Also killed is the village head of Madaka, whose name was not immediately known as at the time of filing this report. According to a source close to the community, the attack occurred about 3:00pm when the village market was in full swing with beehive of activities. It was further gathered that the bandits set ablaze about 50 shops, motorcycles and cars during the bloody incident. The bandits were said to have invaded the village market and started shooting sporadically into the air, forcing people to scamper for their lives.
Majority of the people killed were those who attempted to escape the onslaught, while several others were injured, including women and children.
Unspecified number of the villagers, mostly women, were abducted and whisked away during the attack, which the people said lasted for over two hours. The gunmen were yet to make any contact with their families as at the time of the report. The district head of Madaka, Alhaji Isah Bawale, who is currently taking refuge in Minna, the state capital, confirmed the incident to our correspondent in Minna in a telephone interview. It could be recalled that a similar bloody attack occurred in the community three years ago ,leading to the killing of the then district head and a number of people.
Madaka community has never enjoyed security presence despite the repeated attacks by the gunmen.
The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), SP Wasiu Abiodun could not be reached for his confirmation of the story. Also, the state government had yet to issue a statement on the incident at the time of filing this report.