Bandits Attack, Set Police Station, Church Ablaze, Abduct 5 Niger Residents

Residents of Agwara have narrated how armed men suspected to be Bandits set ablaze a police station, UMC church, and abducted five people at Sokombara community in Agwara town of Agwara local government area of Niger state.

The secretary of the Village Head of Agwara, Suleman Ahmad Yaro, said in an interview that the bandits on 50 motorcycles rode through Angwan mission into the town and first attacked the police station.

He said the Bandits were carrying dangerous weapons like RPGs and set the police station ablaze when they could not find any police Men at the station.

“The police men I learnt have gone to ambush them, but instead of coming through the normal route, they passed through the Angwan mission. They first set the police station ablaze before going to the UMC  church when they were coming back, but the people mobilised and put off the fire set on the church, with minimal damage done,” he added.

Also speaking on the incident, another villager,  Mohammed Kabir, said they abducted six people initially, all from the house of the former NUT chairman of Agwara local government.

He said “the Bandits abducted from the house of former chairman of  NUT and the present  Headmaster of one of the Primary Schools in Agwara, Malam Ahmed Burade whom they initially abducted with his five members of his family but the NUT chairman escaped when they were exchanging fire with the mobile police men and vigilantes who later accosted them on their way out of the town”.

He said two of the wives and three children were taken away by the bandits to an unknown destination.

The Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Niger state command, Wasiu Abiodun, confirmed that “armed bandits invaded Agwara community, attacked the Police station where they were engaged by the tactical team on the ground, used suspected dynamite to set the station ablaze, having overpowered the team”.

“The terrorists later moved to the UMC church in the community, burnt part of the church, proceeded to other areas and abducted about five persons whose identity is yet to be ascertained. Monitoring continues; further development will be communicated”

LEADERSHIP recalled that the latest attack was among three major attacks on Agwara communities since the abduction and release of Papiri School Children and staff in the same Agwara local government area of the state.

The development, it was learnt, has forced many residents to abandon their homes and take refuge in nearby towns and villages.