Some gunmen murdered three people and kidnapped an unspecified number, including women and children, in Maguzawa community, Rafi Local Government Area of Niger State, on Wednesday night, Daily Trust reported.

Maguzawa residents who escaped the attack have fled their community to Kagara and Pandogari in Niger State and Birnin Gwari town in Kaduna State.  

Wednesday’s attack on Maguzawa followed a bandit raid on Gidigore community, which is also located in the Rafi Local Government Area. Bandits attacked Gidigore on Tuesday night, killing five people and abducting dozens. 

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“In Maguzawa, three persons were slaughtered, an unspecified number of people have been kidnapped and some people have fled. We have seen three corpses so far, and they were slaughtered. We don’t know the number of people they went away with for now,” an anonymous source said. 

Residents claimed many communities in the Rafi Local Government Area had been under the siege of bandits for the past three weeks.

Ibrahim Ahmad, a resident of the area, said his brother was among those kidnapped from Gidigore on Tuesday night. 

“In less than three weeks, we have witnessed about 10 different attacks on various communities in the Rafi Local Government Area. It’s almost every day. Before the Tuesday attack, last two weeks, bandits attacked Gulbi, Unguwan-Jaye and Kusherki communities, where eight persons were killed and 36 others kidnapped while one person was seriously injured. As I speak to you, they have demanded N50 million for the first set of people they kidnapped,” Ahmad said.

Ahmad said Tuesday’s attack lasted several hours. The terrorists burnt down several houses and properties belonging to peasant farmers.  

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Maguzawa is about 25 kilometres from Kagara town in Niger State and 12km from Birnin Gwari, Kaduna State.

Gidigore is a few kilometres away from Birnin Gwari town. The Kaduna town of Birnin Gwari has not been spared from bandit attacks.

Wasiu Abiodun, Niger State Police Command’s Public Relations Officer, confirmed the attack on Gidigore on Tuesday but is yet to confirm the latest attack on Maguzawa. 

“During the attack, about three persons lost their lives and a yet-to-be ascertained number of victims were abducted, while two houses were set ablaze,” Abiodun was quoted to have said.