About 25 communities have been deserted in Munya Local
Government and Shiroro Local Governments in Niger State
against the backdrop of incessant activities of gunmen
suspected to be armed bandits.

The bandits were said to have freely attacked the
communities for four consecutive days without any respite
from the security agencies.

The joint team of vigilante groups and military personnel
on duty in the area were said to have run for dear lives
while they allegedly warned the villagers to abandon their
residential houses.

Nigerian Tribune gathered that about 1,450 persons
including women and children were said to have been
abducted by the rampaging armed bandits, killing dozens
of the locals.

It was further learnt that the armed men have taken over
the entire communities where they carried out attacks on
the 25 villages surrounding the 11 wards of the local
government council.

Nigerian Tribune reliably learnt over the weekend that the
armed bandits have so far killed no fewer than about 55
persons in the last four days in the communities including
Zazzaga, Chubani, Kujeta, Kaure, Pupago and Luwe all in
Munya and Shiroro local government areas of the state.

It was further gathered that the villagers have relocated to
an Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camp in the area.

The armed bandits were said to have stormed the
communities in a convoy of motorcycles numbering about
50 with each carrying three passengers armed with AK-47,
machine guns, hand grenades and shot sporadically from
all directions, forcing the locals to run into the bush.

They were said to have invaded the communities in the
early hours of Thursday and carried out the deadly attack
through Friday.

Although no official statement from any of the security
agencies, the Chairman of Shiroro local government
council, Comrade Suleiman Dauda Chukuba, told this
reporter that two of his brothers were also abducted by
the armed bandits.

He said his younger and elder brothers and some
members of their families were kidnapped by the bandits
in Kaure village.
“They have been making calls to some of my relatives but
they have not made any requests for ransom,” he said.

In a separate phone call on Sunday, Chairman, Munya
Local Government Council, Alhaji Garba Mohammed
Dazza, pleaded that he was not in the mood to speak to
this reporter as a result of the unfortunate situation in his
local government.