Bandits have carried out another deadly attack in the Palaita community of Erena Ward, Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger State, abducting 24 people, including pregnant women, from a rice farm.
According to a community source, the attackers stormed the area around 2:00 p.m. on Wednesday while residents were busy harvesting their crops.
Despite Palaita being just five kilometres away from a military base in Erena, the bandits managed to escape with the victims before security forces could intervene.
Earlier the same day, another group of armed men attacked the Kakuru community, also in Erena Ward. They assaulted a blind resident and cut off his right hand after forcefully taking a mobile phone from him.
The attackers arrived at around 8:00 a.m. and found only the visually impaired man at home, as other residents had gone to their farms.
He reportedly told them the phone belonged to a neighbour who was away. Angered by this response, the bandits seized the phone and amputated his right hand.
The victim is currently receiving first aid at a patent medicine store in the Kuduru community.
Meanwhile, the Public Relations Officer of the Niger State Police Command, Wasiu Abiodun, confirmed that efforts are ongoing to rescue the victims. He stated that a report received on November 26 indicated that armed men abducted about ten people from Angwan-Kawo and Kuchipa villages in Shiroro LGA.
This latest attack comes less than a week after more than 300 students and teachers were kidnapped from St. Mary’s Catholic School in Papiri, Niger State, as the country faces a worsening security crisis marked by frequent kidnappings across northern states.
