By Seyi Babalola
Thirty bodies have been found after gunmen attacked Madaka hamlet, and roughly fifty houses were said to have been burned down.
An indeterminate number of people were killed in the incident on Thursday, which took place in the Madaka District of the Rafi local government region of the state. Among the victims were the village head, Saleh Ahmad Kakuri, the vigilante commander, and his deputy.
On the same day, the bandits also targeted Majanjan District inside the same local government. Alhaji Salihu Immahuri, the Maianguwan (Village Head) of Anguwan Bala, as well as his two wives perished in this attack.
The occurrences were corroborated by a local traditional ruler, who also stated that the bandits continued their operations for many hours without receiving any assistance from law enforcement.
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.
