Bandits killed vigilante Aliyu Aminu and abducted six teenage girls in the Pandogari community, Rafi Local Government Area of Niger State.
According to residents who spoke to Daily Trust, the bandits, who came from the Birnin Gwari axis, entered the community through the Mamman Kontagora Technical College, Pandogari.
One source said the bandits conducted a house-to-house raid during the night, which occurred in the early hours of Wednesday.
“The Wednesday night attack was the third one this week. They’ve been attacking us ever since the negotiation with the Kaduna State Government. The talks with Birnin Gwari residents have not been in our favor,” the source explained.
“These attacks resumed after the negotiations with Kaduna State in Birnin Gwari. Just last week, they came and kidnapped several people, including the village head. They have attacked us twice before this Wednesday night.”
Ayuba Usman Katako, Chairman of Rafi LGA, confirmed the attacks, stressing the need for cooperation between Niger and Kaduna state governments to ensure the safety of both states.
“It is true that bandits attacked Pandogari community. In fact, this was not the only attack in the past two weeks. The Wednesday attack was the third,” he said.
“In previous attacks, they kidnapped people from different villages, but on Wednesday, a life was lost before they abducted eight people. Four of them managed to escape,” he added.
Zubairu Isma’ila Zannan Kwangoma, a member of the Niger State House of Assembly representing Rafi Constituency, raised a motion of urgent public importance during the House session. He noted that within a month, terrorists had abducted 122 people and killed two in Rafi LGA.
He identified Pandogari, Gidigori, Ringa, and Kawo as the most affected communities, which have endured significant economic hardship and agricultural destruction due to the attacks and displacement.
