No fewer than twenty people have reportedly dead when by bandits attacked Zungeru and neighbouring communities in Niger State.
According to reports, the bandits also kidnapped Al-mustapha Mustapha, a traditional chief and kingmaker in Zungeru, and two of his wives.
Residents of the area who spoke with newsmen said the two persons were killed by stray bullets fired by the bandits, while 18 drowned in a river while trying to escape the attacks by the bandits.
Zungeru is a town under Wushishi Local Government area of Niger State.
“At around 9 a.m., bandits on at least 70 motorcycles arrived at Kudu village that is under Rafi local government area of Niger State and the boundary to Zungeru town.
“From there, they started operation of stealing money, valuable items like phones and cattle and other animals in Kutunku village,Tashan Jarka village, Tashan Girgi village, Babako village, Utare village,Agwa, Buzu villages and stopped at Pakara village from where they started coming back where they had started from on that Friday,” Mr Shehu said.
“They had settled and rested at Kundu primary schools together with the stolen animals. From 6 p.m. that Friday they blocked that major road that links Minna to Tegina until Saturday 7 a.m,” a resident said.
The resident said the bandits killed some people while many others fell into the Wushishi river out of the fear of being attacked.
This was also confirmed by the district head of Zungeru, Salisu Abubakar, who told this newspaper that two were killed by stray bullets and 18 drowned to death.
It was gathered that Mustapha and his wives were kidnapped in the early hours of last Sunday.
“Thirteen minutes to 1 a.m., they got to know the house of Alhaji Mustapha, Madawaki of Zungeru, where he just entered his own house after he attended his neighbours’s wedding dinner,” Kabiru Shehu, a resident told our correspondent
Niger State has been a haven for bandits in the past few months with several abductions and killings perpetrated in different communities.
