Armed men suspected to be bandits in the early hours of Thursday stormed Zanzaga community in Munya Local government area in Niger State and kidnapped 66 persons mostly women and children.
The armed men also killed 15 persons in their deadly operation which lasted till 6.15 am Thursday.
The armed men, CAPITAL POST gathered arrived the community at about 4.35 am and surrounded the community shooting spadoricaly to scare the local community before embarking on their nefarious activities.
During their operation which lasted for over three hours they abducted their victims and took them to a thick forest.
The daredevil gun men were said to have invaded the community on motorcycles numbering 40 with each carrying 3 passengers weilding sophisticated weapons such as Ak47, machine guns and other dangerous weapons.
The Local Government headquarters which share common border with Kaduna, was surrounded with thick forest made the armed bandits to carry out their operation in the community unchallenged.
Already, residents of Zanzaga lives in perpetual fear of further attack from the deadly gun men who have been terrorising some communities in Niger State in the last four years.
Not fewer than ten local government areas in two Senatorial districts in Niger State are currently under siege of the activities of armed bandits within the last four years.
It is recalled that the armed bandits have so far displaced locals from their homes who having been taking refuge in some Internal Displaced Persons (IDPs) camps in Minna the State capital.
As a result of the incessant activities of the armed bandits in Niger State, farmers could not go to their farms to harvest their farm products for fear of being attack by the deadly gun men.
In some cases, the bandits will mandate the farmers to pay them some money ranging from two to five millions of Naira before harvesting their farm products or they should be prepared to face their dare consequences.
With the threat from the armed bandits faminine is currently eminent in Niger State as farmers now abandoned their farms and relocate to Minna the State capital for fear of being attack by the armed men.
However, the Secretary to Niger State Government, Alhaji Ahmed Matene in an interview with newsmen explained that the State Government is on top of the security challenges which has hitherto bedevilled the local communities in the state in the last four years.
He said the State is committed to the protection of lives and property of its citizens which according to him was the the constitutional responsibility of the government.
Already, he pointed that the government has committed substantial amount of money as allowances to the combine teams of security agencies who are online of duty in security proned communities in the State.
According to the Secretary to the State Government, the present administration in the state has engaged the service of local vigilante group to work with other security agencies to curtail the activities of the armed bandits and other criminal elements in the State.
This, he maintained has curtailed the activities of the armed bandtry to the barest minimum.
He then confirmed that the joint team of armed police men, soldiers and other security agencies have been deployed to the community with the aim protecting the affected community inorder to resuing the kidnapped victims.
