Just few hours after Niger state Governor Abubakar Sani-Bello ruled out further negotiation with bandits, the gunmen struck in Kutunku town Monday in Wushishi local government area of the state.
It was learnt that heavily armed bandits stormed the village on foot and rounded up the villagers.
The bandits, it was gathered, decided to hide their motorcycles in a bush close to the village and trekked towards their targets, a development that did not arouse the suspicion of the villagers until it was too late.
A source from the village said: “They forced them to trek along with them to their camp,” adding that the bandits were yet to contact families of those kidnapped.
The source further disclosed that those abducted included 20 Gbagyis, made up of 11 men and 9 females and 9 Fulani and 1 person of another tribe.
One of the women abducted, Blueprint gathered, was billed to be married this weekend
A senior local government official in the area said a report was made to the Divisional Police Officer in Zungeru, “but we are yet to hear from him.”
All efforts to get police confirmation of the story was abortive.
When contacted, Chairman of Rafi local government council, Alhaji Ismaila Modibo Kagara, confirmed the incident.
He, however, said the incident happened at Kutunku village in Wushishi local government area, a border town with Kundu in the Yakila District of Rafi local government area.
The council boss also said 24 persons, whose names were yet to be known, were kidnapped at Kutunku village.
Modibo further said the bandits were also around Adidi village where they kidnapped one Ibrahim Gamaagi before moving to the next village where they abducted unspecified number of people.
He said last week, 18 persons travelling in three commercial vehicles were waylaid and abducted at Kundu in the same local government area, adding that since the abduction of these travellers nothing had been heard from their captors.
Negotiation over -Bello
Meanwhile, Niger state Governor Abubakar Sani-Bello has resolved to equip vigilante groups in the state with pump action guns to enable them confront bandits whom he called enemies of the people.
He also ruled out further dialogue between the government and the criminals or payment of ransom for release of abducted victims. .
Governor Sani-Bello stated this Monday at Kasuwan Garba in Mariga local government area of the state during a meeting with over 200 members of vigilantes in the area as part of his morale-boosting visits to vigilante groups across the state.
He said: “Henceforth, all vigilantes in the state will be provided with automatic pump action to enable them take the fight to the bandits in their hideouts.”
The vigilantes had complained that lack of modern weapons remained greatest challenge in their fight against the armed bandits whom they said, were heavily equipped with modern and sophisticated weapons.
Also, contrary to demands by the bandits in the state in a viral audio record asking the government to disband the vigilante group as one of the conditions for a ceasefire, the governor said there is no amount of threat from the bandits that would force the government to disband the security watch group in the state.
“We are not going to disband the vigilantes as a result of threat from the bandits, even when the banditry activities in the state stopped, the vigilantes will still be there to provide security at the local government areas,” he said.
However, the governor assured that any bandit that repents and surrenders his weapon will be reintegrated into the society and settled to live a normal life.
He said: “There will be no dialogue but any of them that repent and surrender his weapons will be forgiven and we will compensate such bandits to be able to live a normal live in the society.”
The governor said he was at Kasuwan Garba, one of the areas under siege from the bandits to identify with the vigilante members for the loss of their members to the bandits.
While commending the efforts of vigilantes for restoring some level of peace in the area, the governor urged them not to relent until the war is completely won.
He said: “I understand that there is peace here now but we will not relent because we will not allow them to succeed.”
Earlier, Chairman Mariga local government council, Alhaji Idris Suleiman, had explained that 50 members of the vigilante picked from each of the four districts in the local government area had successfully kept the activities of the bandits at bay,
“The people are now having some level of peace across the 22 villages hitherto under siege from bandits. The vigilantes are on top of the security situation in the area. What they need is modern equipment to be able to confront these bandits who are carrying automatic weapons,” Suleiman said.
