Bandits have reportedly launched a fresh attack on Tafila village, near Gwada town in Niger State’s Shiroro Local Government, killing four people and kidnapping many others.
The attack happened around 6:30 p.m. on Saturday evening.
Gwada town, located in the state’s Shiroro local government area, is about a twenty-minute drive from the multibillion-naira Shiroro Electricity Dam, as well as around twenty-five kilometers from Minna, the state capital.
According to the Vanguard News, two women were killed, as were two children, one of which was the child of one of the deceased women.
According to an eyewitness in the area, the child was shot in the head and died instantaneously, with the skull scattered.
According to the Vanguard News, sources revealed that bandits stormed the village on motorcycles, each with two to three passengers and fully armed with AK47 guns.
They fired sporadically at close range at a truck transporting residents from Erena town to Gwada, where hundreds of IDPs are currently residing.
Aside from those that died, several other people in the vehicle were alleged to have been critically injured and are now undergoing care at various health centers throughout the state.
Also, it was revealed that while many of the villagers fled to the bush for safety, some were unlucky as they ran into the bandits’ waiting hands and were abducted and led into the bush.
The bandits were also said to have rustled a lot of Cattles.
When contacted, a senior official from the Niger State Emergency Management Agency simply said, “We heard something about the current attack by bandits in Gwada area, but we have yet to get full details on the situation.”
The state Police Command, through its spokesman, DSP Wasiu Abiodun, said the police were aware of the invasion but would not say how many people were killed.
The police, in a taste statement said; “On 16/04/2022 at about 1900hrs, intelligence was received that armed bandits attacked Kaduna village via Gwada, Shiroro LGA.”
“Police tactical teams and other security agencies including local vigilantes were drafted to the area and the attackers were repelled.
“However, details of the incident are still sketchy while reinforcement has been dispatched to Gwada and normalcy has been restored,” the statement added.
