Bandits kill 52 people in Nigeria

Less than a week after the killing of  200 people in Zamfara in North West Nigeria, bandits attacked communities in North Central Plateau and Niger states, killing 52  people on Wednesday.

Eighteen people were killed in the attack on Ncha community in the Bassa Local Government Area of Plateau State, while 34 others were killed in Nakuna and Wurukuchi in Niger state.

The Niger State incident appeared to be reprisal as a few weeks ago some special hunters and local vigilantes killed scores of gunmen who were terrorising the communities.

The gunmen launched the attacks on Nakuna and Wurukuchi communities when the villagers were harvesting crops in their farms. The bandits also burnt houses in Nakuna.

The Niger State Commissioner of Police Monday Kuryas, confirmed the incident but said they were yet to ascertain the actual number of people killed in the attacks.

Restore normalcy

He added that security personnel had been deployed in the affected communities to restore normalcy.

In Plateau State, Mr Nuhu Bitrus, a youth leader in the Ncha community, confirmed the killing of 18 people.  

Mr Bitrus said the gunmen, who carried out the attack, also burnt several houses and injured several people.

According to the youth leader the attack took place in the early hours of Wednesday.

Burning houses

“Gunmen invaded the community and started shooting at people indiscriminately and setting houses on fire,” he said.

The bandits that have been officially declared terrorists had on January 10, 2022 killed at least 200 people in some communities in Zamfara.

President Muhammadu Buhari Wednesday conveyed his message of condolences to the people of Zamfara State and described the mass killings of innocent people by retreating bandits as “extremely unfortunate.”  

The President reiterated his earlier commitment to tackle the monster of terrorism head-on, giving assurances that the besieged communities and other Nigerians will not be abandoned.

President Buhari expressed his government’s determination to get rid of the bandits.  

“There will be no let-up in the ongoing campaign to rid Zamfara and other affected states of the menace of these terrorists. Since they have no regard for the sanctity of life, they shall be dealt with,” he said.

This article originally came from The East African