Bandits storm Niger wedding, abduct bride, kill eight guests

Bandits have attacked over 10 communities in Niger State, killed eight persons, abducted a bride and left several others injured.

The gunmen, who were said to have numbered over 100, invaded the communities in the Lavun Local Government Area of the state.

According to a resident of the Ndakogitu community, who spoke on condition of anonymity, the bandits also attacked a wedding ceremony, where they abducted the bride and another girl.

The resident stated, “They (gunmen) came into our community and went to the venue of a wedding; they stole all the money realised at the ceremony and other valuables.

“The rampaging gunmen also rustled a number of cattle belonging to the villagers.”

The attack, which lasted all through Saturday night and Sunday morning, according to the resident, displayed over 5,000 persons.

Another source, who spoke to our correspondent, said the terrorists went to different communities and shot at residents, who were scampering for safety.

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It was gathered that after the attack, the terrorists were unable to escape with the rustled cattle as the only bridge linking the community with Akare had collapsed, leaving them with no option but to abandon the animals and escape.

The vigilantes in the communities, however, mobilised themselves and confronted the bandits, who eventually killed six of the locals as a result of them being ill-equipped.

The attack forced the residents of the affected communities to flee their homes, while those who had earlier gone to the nearby market at Batati could not return home for fear of being attacked by the gunmen.

When contacted, the Commissioner for Local Government and Internal Security, Emmanuel Umar, confirmed the latest attack, but said he had yet to get the details of the incident.

Some of the communities attacked are Egbako, Ndaruka, Ebbo, Ndagbegi, Tshogi, Gogata and Ndakogitu, all in the Lavun Local Government Area of the state.

Punch