Crime
Gunmen Raid Fulani Settlements in Niger State, killing 9 people and Razing Homes.
Gunmen Raid Fulani Settlements in Niger State, killing 9 people and Razing Homes.
Gunmen Raid Fulani Settlements in Niger State, killing 9 people and Razing Homes.
Gunmen Raid Fulani Settlements in Niger State, killing 9 people and Razing Homes.
NewsReport gathered that at least nine people have been slain in raids on Fulani villages in Niger State’s Mashegu Local Government Area.
According to Daily Trust, the attacks were carried out by vigilantes from Maza-Kuka between Sunday and Monday.
The attacks could be a retaliation for the October 25 attack on a mosque in Maza-Kuka, which resulted in the deaths of 18 worshippers and the kidnapping of 13 others.
Following the raid at Maza-Kuka, the village chief of Adogon-Mallam, a Fulani hamlet, and his younger brother were killed.
“They also killed my younger brother’s 3-year-old son and his 10-year-old daughter. My younger brother, Aliyu, was also killed. They also killed my son, Mohammadu. He was 30 years. I lost 7 members of my family. I had to run; they would have killed me too.”
Mohammed said 51 cattle, 63 rams, 53 goats, and a motorcycle were taken away while his younger brothers, Abdullahi and Ali, also lost 38 goats during the attacks.
He said, “We have left the village. I live in a faraway place now. I won’t go back home because they will kill me. Some of our people are staying with relatives in Kontagora. We are afraid of going back to our settlements because they will kill us. We cannot even go to search for our animals.”
Mohammed said his younger brother was killed in a separate attack on Sunday, decrying lack of security presence in the area.
Another eyewitness, who said he is also taking refuge outside Niger State, Alhaji Muhammadu Marike, said “Apart from Monday attack that led to the death of the village head and his younger brother in Adogon Mallam, they came back again and picked us. Luckily for me, one of the vigilantes who are very close to me asked them to let me go. That was how I escaped.”
“Eight persons were taken away and their whereabouts have not been known. Some of our people ran as far as Jebba, Kano, and Zaria due to renewed attacks,” he said.
Abubakar Saidu, the eldest son to the deceased village head of Adogon, said in another Fulani settlement, a newborn baby and his mother were killed and their huts were set ablaze.
When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer of the state, DSP Wasiu Abiodun, said the command had deployed a tactical team for the manhunt of those behind the attack.
Abiodun asked members of the public to volunteer intelligence to assist the police and other security agencies in order to apprehend the hoodlums as the investigation is ongoing.
