Bandits Kill Five in Niger Community

By Laleye Dipo

Two riot policemen and three others were killed in Kwampani Bobi town in Mariga Local Government Area of Niger State, during an attack by bandits between Thursday and Friday.

In the incident, two of those killed were women who were wives of the same husband with the fifth deceased being a member of the local vigilante.

Several others, who were passengers in a commercial vehicle travelling to Kontagora, were also injured during the attack.

The injured have been admitted at both the Mariga and Kontagora General Hospitals.

It was gathered that the invasion by the bandits, who rode on several motorcycles, started at about 10 pm on Thursday and continued till the early hours of Friday.

According to eyewitnesses, who were commuters in vehicles that made detour as a result of the attack, the bandits blocked the highway and started shooting sporadically.

It was learnt that a few hours before they blocked the road, the bandits had invaded some villages close to Kwampani Bobi during which several cattle were rustled.

“The bandits were so daring to the extent they did not care if security operatives were around the area,” the eyewitness said.

However, it was learnt that men of the local vigilante were deployed to counter the bandits leading to the death of some of the bandits.

It was gathered that the bandits were bold enough to take away the corpses of their men that died in the counter attack by the vigilante.

The Public Relations Officer of the state Police Command, DSP Wasiu Abiodun, could not be reached for confirmation of the incident as calls made to his cell phone were not answered.

The Director General of the state Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA), Alhaji Ibrahim Ahmed Inga, when contacted by THISDAY, said the agency has heard about the incident but did not have any details.