Gunmen suspected to be bandits have killed at least 13 people in a brutal overnight attack on communities in Mariga Local Government Area of Niger State. The affected areas include Magoro, Kumbashi, and Bangi, the council’s administrative. Leadership Newspap reports
Among the victims were three vigilante members and a police officer reportedly stationed in different parts of the area. Dozens of others sustained injuries during the assault.
According to eyewitness accounts, the attackers stormed the communities on Tuesday night, arriving on approximately 150 motorcycles and armed with sophisticated weapons. They launched a surprise attack, firing indiscriminately and causing widespread panic.
Witnesses further revealed that the assailants entered from the direction of the Zamfara border and deliberately destroyed a communication mast to disable mobile networks, thereby preventing residents from calling for help.
LEADERSHIP gathered that the coordinated assault may have been a reprisal following recent airstrikes by security forces on bandit camps located around the Niger-Zamfara border. The military operation was reportedly in response to the killing of 17 soldiers two weeks ago during an ambush in Gulmin Boka, also within Mariga LGA.
Confirming the latest attack, the Chairman of Mariga Local Government Area, Alhaji Abbas Kasuwa Garba, said although the exact number of casualties was yet to be confirmed, tension remains high as the bandits continue to move from one community to another.
Efforts to reach the Niger State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Wasiu Abiodun, were unsuccessful at the time of filing this report. However, a senior police officer, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed the incident.
