John Adams Minna
Masked gunmen on Sunday invaded Ajapayi community in Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger State, killing 12 people and injured 15 others in an attack described as the worst in the community.
Witnesses said the gunmen had laid siege on the communities and environ for over 78 hours before unleashing terror on the people, killing them with reckless abandon and displacing thousands while others fled for their lives.
Witnesses said that villages around Kwaki area of the local government have been deserted by residents even as the gunmen have continued to wreak havoc on the fleeing villagers, chasing them to their hideouts.
The communities around Shiroro, Munya and Rafi local government areas have been under siege for sometime now due to the activities of gunmen fleeing from the joint security operation in Zamfara, Katsina and Kaduna states.
Speaking with our correspondent on the recent attack, the senator representing Niger East Senatorial District in whose constituency the attack occurred, David Umoru, expressed shock over the calamity that had befallen his people.
“I have been receiving distress calls in the past three days from my people on the armed attack in the area. I am very sad about the continued invasion of our communities and the waste of innocent lives with impunity while security agencies appeared to be overwhelmed,” Umoru said.
He, therefore, appealed to security agencies, especially the police and military, to deploy more personnel to the area to save the lives of helpless villagers now living in perpetual fear of the unknown.
Police public relations officer in the state confirmed the attack but said that only one person was killed while 15 others were injured in the attack.
He said that the gunmen were cattle rustlers, who had rustled cows that refused to move after reaching the community, adding that the hoodlums resorted to attacking anybody that came close in the believe that they were coming for them.
He explained that the incident occurred in Ajapayi via Kwaki village in Shiroro Local Government Area, a very difficult terrain not accessible even by motorcycle.
He said that the police were on top of the situation, adding: “We are trailing the perpetrators and will surely arrest them and made them to face the wrath of the law.”