Terrorists have again struck communities in Niger State, abducting an unspecified number of people, including pupils and students of St. Mary’s Private Catholic Primary and Secondary Schools, Papiri, in Agwara Local Government Area.
The school was the same institution whose students were recently abducted and later released. In the latest attack, no fewer than 42 people, including women and children, were reportedly killed, plunging affected communities into mourning.
Sources from Kasuwan Daji and Kaima communities, where the attacks occurred on Saturday, said several villagers were taken into the Kainji National Park, including some students of the Papiri missionary school who had only recently regained their freedom. The assault came barely five days after bandits fleeing military operations in Kwara State invaded Gebe and Goro communities in the same local government area, killing two people and burning more than 15 houses after looting valuables.
A source said the parish priest narrowly escaped abduction when the attackers stormed the mission house days earlier, destroying religious items, stealing two motorcycles and carting away over ₦200,000 in cash. The attackers were said to have abducted villagers, including children, after failing to capture the priest.
Another resident appealed to authorities, saying many villagers whose children were earlier abducted have been sleeping in the bush since their return due to fear of renewed attacks.
Confirming the incident, Niger State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Wasiu Abiodun, said police received reports around 9pm on Saturday that suspected bandits attacked communities, killing more than 30 people and abducting an unconfirmed number of victims.
According to him, the attackers, believed to have emerged from the Kainji National Park forest along Kebe District, invaded Kasuwan Daji in Demo Village around 4:30pm, killing residents, burning the market, looting shops and carting away food items. He added that a joint security team had visited the area and that efforts were ongoing to rescue the abducted victims.
Residents said terrorists now regard the Kainji National Park forest as a safe haven, noting increased movement of armed groups into the area, which they linked to recent foreign military airstrikes in parts of the North-West.
Former Niger State Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism and APC chieftain, Jonathan Vatsa, described the renewed attacks as a major setback for both the state and the country. He expressed concern that the violence occurred barely two weeks after the release of the abducted Papiri students, stressing that stronger security measures should have been put in place to protect the communities.
Vatsa said the situation had gone beyond the capacity of the state government, urging the federal government to urgently develop a comprehensive security plan for the Kainji National Park axis, which he said appeared to have been overtaken by terrorists.
Meanwhile, the Niger State Government expressed sympathy with the affected communities. The governor prayed for the repose of the souls of those killed, the safe rescue of the abducted victims, healing for the injured and restoration of destroyed livelihoods.
Also speaking, the Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Obed Nuhu Nana, attributed the recent escalation of attacks to the displacement of terrorists following foreign airstrikes in Sokoto and Kwara states. He said the pressure forced the armed groups to relocate to parts of Kebbi State and Rijau Local Government Area of Niger State, worsening the security situation.