Residents Flee Niger Village As 11 Are Killed In One Week

Residents of   and Gbada Villages in  Shiroro local government  Niger state have deserted their communities following last week’s attack on some communities by suspected cattle rustlers.

The rustlers killed 11persons, an action that forced    the villagers, in their thousands, to seek refuse in Pandogari and Kalgara in Rafi local government area even as the police and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corp drafted more men to the area.

LEADERSHIP Sunday gathered that the Cattle rustlers have taken over Allawa forest and were attacking the villages around the area with sophiscated  guns like AK 47 and the last week attack led to the death of 11 persons while 700 cattle, goats and sheeps were rustled.

In view of the vulnerability and fear of further attacks, it was learnt that the villagers around the areas moved to Pandogari and Kalgara where they took refuge in public buildings and the Emir of Kalgara’s palace.

A security source hinted LEADERSHIP Sunday that the upsurge in the activities of the cattle rustlers and other criminal activities in the area was caused by some criminal elements who were being chased from Zamfara and adjoining Birnin Gwari forest in Zamfara and Kaduna states respectively.

The source further hinted that the security agents in the state  have started mobilizing to counter the influx of such groups into Niger state in order to make it difficult for the criminal group to set up a base in the state.

The Police Public Relations Officer for Niger state Command, Bala Elkana (DSP), while confirming the attacks on Kukoki Village stated that six of the rustlers are now in police net even as 500 police men have been  mobilized to the villages to flush out the cattle  rustlers.

The commissioner of Police Niger state Command , Alhaji Zubairu Muzau said  at a news conference that police men have been mobilized to the area to strengthen the joint task force team already on ground in Allawa, forest

He confirmed that the criminal elements  may be those  fleeing military offensive in Zamafara state and decided to take refuge in the Allawa forest adjoining Kaduna state.

According to him  “Six people were killed in Kukoki community last Monday, while five lives were lost in Gbada, all of Shiroro local government area with undisclosed number of cattle rustled,” .

Similarly the  NSCDC in the state said that it has drafted 150 officers to the area to fight against the rustlers and other criminal activities.

The state Commandat Philip Ayuba said that the corp will continue to work along side other security agencies  in the state to rid the state of crime and criminals.

Source: leadership