Fleeing Bandits Regroup In Niger State, Others

Same day the Okun nation decried unimaginable attacks by bandits in the part of Kogi State, residents of communities in Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger State have bemoaned the influx of fleeing bandits from Zamfara and other states sharing boundaries with Niger.

It was gathered that the Coalition of Shiroro Associations (COSA) stated this on Monday in a statement issued in Minna by its Secretary, Salis M Sabo, who demanded a proper coordination and replication of ongoing military operation in Zamfara in other states having boundaries with the state.

This was as the lawmaker representing Kabba-Bunu/Ijumu Federal Constituency in Kogi State at the House of Representatives, Teejay Yusuf, said the worsening security challenges in Okun land in the past one week “has led to the death, kidnap and dastardly attacks on persons, buildings, institutions, farmlands and church.”

He said, “It is not only shocking but very painful that within days, the bandits turned Kabba-Bunu LGA to their target, unleashing sorrow, grief, pain and wailing on the people. First, it was the Gestapo-style attack on the Kabba Correctional Centre where many inmates were forcefully released.

“Next was the abduction of three poultry workers in Egbeda, a community in Kabba. Shockingly, these bandits, last Sunday, attacked worshippers at the ECWA Church in Okedayo, Kabba, leading to death, kidnapping and injuries to innocent people.

“Indeed, this spate of recent gruesome attacks on communities in Kabba-Bunu LGA, as well as other similar bandits’ operations in other communities in Kabba-Bunu Ijumu Federal Constituency and the entire Okun nation, should be serially condemned by everyone.

“As a result of their activities and operations, the peace-loving people of Okun Nation now live in perpetual fear, anxiety and worries. Also, trading and economic activities have been badly, grossly affected. Given the agrarian nature of our communities, people can no longer go to their farms for fear of intimidation, attacks, maiming, kidnapping and killings by these bandits.”

Yusuf added that at the end of the attack on the ECWA Church, one person reportedly lost his life, while two persons, including the pioneer Provost of College of Education (Technical), Kabba, Chief Oshadumo J.O.T, were kidnapped, with his wife, some students and other worshippers sustaining gunshot injuries.

While calling on the concerned authorities to swiftly intervene, amidst the cries of the people of Shiroro, COSA said the bandits were seen in their large numbers riding motorcycles around the communities.

“The terrorists who have been seen in the motorcycles with masked faces are believed to have flown from Zamfara or other adjoining troubled states which the Niger state borders through Shiroro. This situation has caused fear and apprehension among the people of that area,” he said.

The association listed the communities entered by the fleeing bandits to include  Galadiman Kogo, Zama, Magami, Magandam, Paleli, Iburo, Chukuba, Dnasapa all in Shiroro LGA.

Sabo, who said a replication of the military onslaught in Zamfara will save vulnerable states from bearing the brunt arising from the operation, urged “the authorities concerned to swiftly intervene into the cries of the people of Shiroro”.