One killed in Niger community midnight attack by alleged cattle rustlers
Midnight attack by cattle rustlers in Angwar Umadi Village in Shiroro local government area of Niger state has left one dead and 15 others seriously injured.
The deceased, a 19 year old Senior Secondary School (SSS11) student, was shot at a closed range by the armed rustlers when the Boy was said to have come out to ease himself, unknowing to him that the bandits were operating.
Fifteen others who were trying to escape the invasion were either shot or macheted by the bandits and are currently receiving treatment at the Erena Dispensary.
One of the villagers, Isaiah Baga who narrated the incidence to newsmen in the state capital, said the rustlers, numbering about 40, arrived the village at about 12am Sunday morning, and operated for about one hour.
He disclosed that 212 cattle and a number of sheep were taken away, including 7 new brand motorcycles.
According to Baga, the attack is coming four days after some armed mobile policemen came to patrol the area, saying that “we have reported the latest attack to the authority but were are yet to hear from them.”
This is the 20th attack on communities in Shiroro local government area of the state with over 100 people killed and over 1,500 cattle and sheep stolen away.
The last night attack is coming 24hours after the state government expressed the readiness of the security agencies to tackle the upsurge in cases of kidnapping and cattle rustling in some parts of Rafi and Shiroro local government area of the state.
The Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism, Mr. Jonathan Vatsa, in a statement stated that the government was worried by the activities of people with questionable characters operating within the notorious Birni Gwari forest, Kaduna state which shares boundary with Niger state.
Mr. Vatsa said the criminals were those chased out from Zamafara state by the ongoing military operation and have infiltrated the state through the Birni Gwari axis to carry out the nefarious acts of Kidnapping and cattle rustling.
The Commissioner stated that to ensure the protection lives and properties, the government has mobilized security agencies to curb the trends.
He however appeal to the people of the area to co-operate with the security agents by offering useful information that will lead to the arrest of the criminals terrorizing innocent people of the area.
