Thirty corpses have been recovered, and about 50 houses reportedly burned down following an attack on Madaka village by gunmen.
The attack, which occurred on Thursday, resulted in an unspecified number of casualties, including the Village Head, Saleh Ahmad Kakuri, the Commander of the vigilante, and his Deputy, under the Madaka District of Rafi local government area of the state.
The bandits also targeted Majanjan District in the same local government on the same day. During this attack, Alhaji Salihu Immahuri, the Maianguwan (Village Head) of Anguwan Bala, and his two wives were also killed.
A traditional ruler from the area confirmed the incidents, saying that the bandits operated for several hours without any response from security agencies.
He said, “The bandits invaded the village around 3:30pm on Thursday. Over 30 bodies have already been recovered by the villagers. They operated for several hours without response from security agencies.”
According to him, the attacks resulted in significant casualties due to the timing, which coincided with the peak of trading in the market.
Another source from the village said over 50 houses, including commercial shops, were burnt down during the assault.
“Over 50 houses including commercial shops, a number of cars and motorcycles were burnt down during the attack.
“The suspected armed men stormed the village shooting sporadically, killed several people and burnt down the market.
“They also abducted an unspecified number of the villagers to an unknown destination. For now, we cannot say the exact number of people killed or abducted.” The source stated.
This incident recalls a similar attack that occurred in the same village a few years ago, resulting in significant loss of life.
As of now, the Niger State government has not issued a statement over the reported attack.
Massacre in Niger State: 30 bodies recovered, 50 houses burnt