A People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Ward Leader in Kampala Village, Bosso Local Government Area of Niger State, identified as Ahmodu Mohammed, has been murdered in cold blood by gunmen suspected to be armed bandits who also abducted his three daughters.
Also allegedly killed were some seven persons in Kusasu in the Shiroro Local Government Area of the state last Friday late in the evening, just as scores of houses of those who were said to have escaped the attacks were burnt down by the fleeing bandits .
Tribune Online gathered that the victims who were killed in Kusasu included four men and two women.
It was further learnt that the victims were said to have fled the attack and hid in the bush but were pursued by the bandits and allegedly shot at close range.
Insider sources in one of the communities told our reporter that a man said to be the driver to the bandits was allegedly nabbed by men of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Shiroro last Friday.
But in Kampala, the killing of the PDP ward leader, last Thursday, came after three attempts on his life by the bandits who had terrorised some other villages before coming to Kampala.
A family member of the deceased told our reporter in an interview on telephone that Mohammed was killed after several hours of intense battle gun duels with the bandits.
“This was the third time the bandits had attacked him. They didn’t succeed in the first two attempts against the backdrops that the deceased politician was very powerful,” said the source.
However, condemnations have continued to trail the continued onslaught by bandits across the state, especially on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
An erstwhile PDP Chairman in Niger State, Barrister Tanko Beji, described Mohammed’s killing as very unfortunate, adding that people were no longer safe in their private homes in parts of the state.
Beji added that neither the government nor security agencies were doing enough to curb the attacks.
Also, the Senator representing Niger East senatorial district, Senator Mohammed Sani Musa, noted that the attacks were declarations of war against the harmless residents.
According to him, “the horrible event in the last one week in Niger State, and particularly in Niger East Senatorial District, has raised tension and uncertainties in my mind and the minds of our people more than ever before.
“A number of people have been killed and over 30 persons have been abducted since the latest attacks, and no fewer than 5,000 persons have been rendered homeless from the over 15 communities in Niger east senatorial district alone.
“What happened in the last one week could be described as hell on earth for the people of Niger East who can no longer sleep both day and night for fear of the unknown. They have been rendered helpless, even as they continue to starve due to the destruction of their property and inability to engage in what they know how to do best – farming.”
Musa, however, warned that a lasting solution must be proffered immediately, saying that “those who are tasked with the responsibility of protecting the lives and property of the citizenry must rise to the occasion.”
