John Adams, Minna
No fewer than 3,500 people from 17 communities in Rafi and Shiroro Local Government Areas of Niger State have been forced to relocate from their ancestral homes following armed bandits attack on the communities.
The attack, which the Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA) said occurred on Thursday night, last week, claimed five lives.
According to the Director General of the agency, Alhaji Ibrahim Inga, 35 people were suspected to have been abducted by the gun men, as they have been declared missing after the invasion.
Inga said about 3,500 people who fled the attack are currently camped at Kagara Central Primary School and Pandogari Primary School.
The agency said the state government had provided some palliatives in form of food items and sleeping materials to the displaced people, adding that relief materials would be distributed to the affected people within the week.
“NSEMA has activated the temporary camps with profiling of the affected persons, and health personnel have been deployed to the two camps. The state government has directed provision of all requirements for camp operation,” he said.
However , he ruled out the possibility of elections taking place in the affected communities, on Saturday, adding: “the security personnel have been over stretched because of the election.”
The last invasion by the bandits was coming barely one week after the senator representing Niger East Senatorial District, David Umoru, and that of Kaduna Central, Shehu Sani, raised the alarm over the security situation in parts of the state.
The two senators claimed that about 15 people were killed in two different attacks.
This was also collaborated by the Special Adviser to the governor in zone B (All matters), Mr Pius Wakili, who confirmed that out of the 15 people who were kidnapped, last week, 13 are still under the custody of their captors, while one has been killed.
He said the attacks were more prominent in communities around Munya and Shiroro Local Governments which border the Southern and Eastern parts of Kaduna and Zamfara states.