A group of bandits in Niger State has caused the death of five individuals, including a woman who was six months pregnant, in an attack on the Agwa community located in the Rafi Local Government Area.
The bandits entered the community on Tuesday afternoon, firing shots randomly and killing their targets in the process.
According to an eyewitness named Mallam Audu, the bandits were in the midst of their assault when they encountered a military unit on patrol, leading to a gunfire exchange.
“The bandits just entered our village and started shooting, people started to run for their lives in the process, and about six people were killed.
“As they were shooting, they also caught some people and had to rush out of the village as the soldiers arrived and engaged them in a shooting.
“The shooting from the soldiers was too much for the bandits and they had to run away into the forest,” Audu said.
He stated that more than 50 people were kidnapped while many villagers were injured as they scampered to safety.
“Many people, more than 50 were kidnapped and others were wounded as they were running away from the bandits,” he added.
The Niger state Commissioner for Internal Security and Humanitarian Affairs, Emmanuel Umar, confirmed the incident saying the actual number of victims is yet to be ascertained.
