Again, Suspected Cattle Rustlers Raid Niger Village, Kill Six

Barely two weeks after cattle rustlers invaded Gbada community in Kaure village in the Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger State killing five people and rendering several others homeless, not less than 50 heavily armed rustlers have attacked the Kukoki village a Fulani settlement in the same local government area, killing six people among them four Fulanis.

A woman and several others were said to have been seriously injured in the attack which lasted for about four hours even as several houses were reported to have been destroyed by the rampaging rustlers. It was learnt that not less than 700 cows, goats and sheep were rustled by the invaders.

An eyewitness told THISDAY that the rustlers came to the settlement at about 7a.m. and started shooting into the air to scare away members of the community. The operation, according to the eyewitness, did not end until about four hours later without any resistance coming from anywhere. As a result, many of the villagers had to run to nearby communities and into the bush, deserting their ancestral homes. As at the time of filing this report, yesterday, life had not returned to the affected village. The state Police Public Relations Officer, Bala Elkana, who confirmed the incident, said two of the suspected rustlers had been arrested while efforts were ongoing to arrest the others.

He said the police was yet to have the figure of cattle rustled but confirmed the casualty figure. Elkana said armed policemen had been drafted to the community just as the Police Commissioner, Alhaji Muazu Zubairu, had also relocated to the affected village along with top officers of the command.