In a particularly gruesome attack, the gunmen invaded Allawa town in Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger State, setting more than 25 houses ablaze and injured many as they carried out the killings. One community leader said the attackers, numbering about 40, used machine guns and other dangerous weapons.
He added that the operation lasted some two hours and many of the villagers have been displaced as a result of the incident. Confirming the incident, the public relations officer of the Niger State Police Command, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Bala Elkana, said that the command had yet to ascertain the number of casualties.
ASP Elkana, however, confirmed that a policeman was among those killed and added that the incident occurred in the night. He said because of the lack of communication between Allawa and other parts of the state, the security agencies could not respond on time.
“The Commissioner of Police, Alhaji Abubakar Marafa, has dispatched the divisional police officer in Kagara and the police area commander in Minna to the troubled village to assess the situation and bring back a report,” ASP Elkana added.
Over recent years, the Nigerian Army has been battling with cattle rustlers in Shiroro Local Government Area. Earlier this year, the army recovered 184 cows and 83 sheep from suspected cattle rustlers and handed them over to the chairman of Munya Local Government, Alhaji Abdulkadir Bida, to enable their owners claim them.
In response to raids on their cattle by rustlers, Fulani herdsmen have armed themselves with AK47 and other automatic weapons. Whenever their livestock are plundered, they resort to attacking entire villages, carrying out bloody retribution.
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