- The deceased met their end when the rampaging bandits stormed Kumbashi, Bangi and Mongoro communities in Mariga Local Government Area of the Middle Belt State.
A fresh wave of attacks in Niger State by bandits have left at least thirteen people dead, including security operatives.
The deceased met their end when the rampaging bandits stormed Kumbashi, Bangi and Mongoro communities in Mariga Local Government Area of the Middle Belt State.
The assailants were said to have stormed the villages on Tuesday around 4:00 pm armed with sophisticated weapons.
It was also learnt that the gunmen who arrived on about 100 motorcycles entered the area from Zamfara State.
Locals privy to the onslaught said 13 people were killed, including one police officer and two vigilantes, while many others sustained various degrees of injuries.
A source in the area stated that the attack may be in retaliation for a recent Air Force raid on their hideouts, which resulted in severe casualties in their camp.
The bandits also destroyed a communication mast, disrupting communication in the affected areas.
The chairman of Mariga LGA, Alhaji Abbas Kasuwa Garba, confirmed the attack but could not provide a specific number of casualties due to prevailing tension due to the siege laid on the area by the assailants.
Niger State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Wasiu Abiodun, is yet to comment on the incident.