Gunmen kill PDP ward Leader, 7 others in Niger – Media Report

A ward leader of the Peoples Democratic Party in Kampala village, Bosso Local Government Area of Niger State, Ahmodu Mohammed, has been reportedly killed by some bandits who also abducted his three daughters.

Seven persons were also said to have been killed in Kusasu in the Shiroro LGA on Friday night, while several houses of those who escaped the attacks were set ablaze by the hoodlums.

Those killed in Kusasu included two women and four men. They were said to have fled the attack and hid in the bush but were traced by the bandits and shot dead.

According to the report, a source in one of the communities told our correspondent that a man said to be the driver of the bandits was arrested by men of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps in Shiroro on Friday.

However, in Kampala, the killing of the PDP ward leader, on Thursday, came after three attempts on his life by the bandits who had raided some other villages before coming to Kampala.

A family member of the deceased told our correspondent on the phone that Mohammed was killed after two hours of intense battle with the bandits.

“This was the third time the bandits had attacked him. They didn’t succeed in the first two attacks because the man was very powerful,” the source stated.

However, condemnations have continued to trail the continued onslaught by bandits across the state, especially on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

A former PDP Chairman in the state, Tanko Beji, described Mohammed’s killing as unfortunate, saying people were no longer safe in their houses.

Beji said neither the government nor security agencies was doing enough to curb the attacks.

The Senator Representing Niger East Senatorial District, Sani Musa, said the attacks were a declaration of war against the harmless residents.

Musa said, “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 less than 5,000 persons have become refugees 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 warned that a lasting solution must be proffered immediately, stressing that “those who are tasked with the responsibility of protecting the lives of the people must rise to the occasion.”