Three persons were killed and two rice farmers were abducted as bandits attacked road users in the Mariga Local Government Area of Niger State.
According to reports, the attack occurred around 9 a.m. on Sunday, October 20, 2024, between Bangi and Kotonkoro.
The assailants believed to be bandits, blocked the road, shooting at vehicles travelling along the route.
Among the victims were the driver of a car, a young girl, and a passenger identified as Alhaji Ibrahim. Reports had it that they were travelling to the market when the attack occurred.
Shehu Kotonkoro, the owner of the vehicle confirmed the incident, expressing his concern about the lack of security in the area. He noted that the attack happened just 5 kilometres from Kotonkoro.
In addition to the killings, two rice farmers harvesting on their farm about two kilometres from the town were abducted by the bandits.
The bandits also attacked another vehicle carrying bread during the assault.
The Chairman of Mariga Local Government, Abbas Musa Kasuwa-Garba, confirmed the attack and sympathised with the victims’ families.
He highlighted the persistent insecurity in the area due to the proximity to Zamfara, Kebbi, and Kaduna states, where bandits frequently strike before retreating to their camps.
In another development, bandits on Monday launched a deadly attack along the Tsafe-Funtua road in Zamfara State, killing multiple travellers and abducting others.
A resident, who chose to remain anonymous, described how the bandits encountered vehicles on the busy road and opened fire, stopping the vehicles and killing some passengers while abducting others.
Musa Yusuf, another resident, confirmed that security personnel, including members of the DSS, police, and Zamfara Community Protection Guards (CPG), arrived shortly after the attack, consoled survivors, and pursued the bandits, though they later returned without recovering the victims.
The Tsafe-Funtua road has recently become a notorious hotspot for bandit attacks, despite the presence of numerous security checkpoints along the route.