Barely a week after the abduction of about 27 students and staff of the Government Science Secondary School Kagara, suspected bandits have attacked Manta village in Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger state.
The bandits heavily armed with assorted sophisticated weapons reportedly came into the Manta village on motorcycles, shooting sporadically.
A resident of the village, who confirmed the attack, said the bandits shot into the air frequently to instil fear in the villagers.
According to the resident, there are many casualties, but there is no certainty as to the number of those affected when filing this report.
Bandits Attack Niger State
In a related development, suspected bandits have invaded and killed three persons in three communities in Sabuwa Local Government Area of Katsina State.
Sources confirmed that the bandits kidnapped nine other persons, including women and young girls in Mai Bakko, Kawarawa, and Unguwar Bako communities.
Earlier, Islamic scholar Sheik Ahmad Gumi had highlighted what he described as the reason for banditry in Nigeria, adding that the bandits were forced into criminality.
According to the scholar, the solution to banditry is not military hardware but dialogue and teaching. The scholar described the bandits as the victims of cattle rustling that destroyed their livelihood.
He stressed the need to investigate how cattle rustling became a big business in Nigeria and how it affected the nomadic Fulani’s socio-cultural behaviour.
