Niger State Boiling, No Fewer Than 25 Killed By Bandits

Report according to Daily Sun says, barely 24 hours after negotiations between armed bandits and some communities in Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger State, no fewer than 25 members of neighbouring communities have been killed by armed bandits. The killer bandits went away with about 50 members of the communities, mostly women and children in the attack which lasted over three hours, after killing about 25 people mostly men, while 30 others were seriously injured. 

According to source close to one of the communities, the bandits, numbering about 100 invaded the villages in Kwaki in Kurebe/Kushaka Ward of Shiroro LGA on Monday morning to unleash terror on the people for their refusal to attend a meeting which was held on Sunday, a day before the attack.

The source further said, said the bodies of those killed were still littered around the bush in these communities as at the time of filing this report 3:00pm (Tuesday) with nobody to bury them. The injured ones, about 30 of them are also said to be hiding in the bush nursing their injuries for fear of being killed as women and children managed to escaped to nearby villages.

It was gathered that the bandits, had requested about 25 communities in the area to pay N3million each as the only condition to allow them harvest their farm produce and going about with their normal farming business. It was further gathered that 16 communities attended the Sunday meeting which was held at Buresindna village through their Representatives and agreed to source for the money if that was the only thing that would give them peace in the area after over six years of banditry activities.

However, six communities, all within Kwaki,refused to attend the negotiation meeting with the three different groups of bandits, and angered by this action, the bandits decided to join force and attacked them.

The Chairman of the LGA, Mallam Suleman Chukuba, confirmed the attack but denied knowledge of any meeting between the communities and the bandits. He, however, faulted the decision of the communities to enter into negotiation with the bandits, saying that the payment of N3million by each communities would not put an end to the activities of these bandits in the area.

According to him, “the only solution which we suggested to the Federal Government is the establishment of a military base in Makatan junction, Lokope and Kaure communities where the bandits use as their entry route from Kaduna to Nigeria state”

Chukuba described as unfortunate, the continued loss of lives to  bandits, stressing, “the efforts of both the state and local government seems not to be yielding any result. I am therefore, appealing to the Federal Government  to come to our rescue”.

Meanwhile Anxiety Brew In The Force Headquarters Yesterday

Anxiety and tension enveloped the police force headquarters in Abuja, yesterdays, over speculations of the appointment of a new Inspectors General of Police(IGP) by President Muhamadu Buhari, following the expiration of the tenure of the incumbent Mr. Mohammed Adamu.

Adamu, whose tenure expired on Monday, February1, after the mandatory 35 years in service and attaining the age of sixty, was appointed two years ago. But yesterday, the rumour of a new IGP reigned over the police headquarters, a trend that started last week. 

“It does not seem like the incumbent IGP is ready to leave office,” a source at the force headquarters made this known. “Adamu, reported for work yesterday and today and remained in office until at about 3 o’clock when he left for the Nnamzi Azikiwe International airport to receive president Muhamamadu Buhari, who is expected back from Kastina state alongside other security chefs.”

It was however gathered that with the return  of the President to Abuja from Katsina, a new IGP may be announced today. At the Force Headquarters some personnel were seen glued to their television sets in offices to hear the breaking news of a new IGP.