Gunmen, numbering about 100 on Thursday night, stormed Kuchi community in Munya local government area of Niger state and abducted about 50 people after killing five of the villagers.
The gunmen who invaded the community at about 1:00am went from one house to another, waking up their victims which include women and children before leading them into the bush through cattle roots.
This latest attack is coming barely five days after some gunmen attempted to invade a military camp in s Sarkin Pawa, the headquarters of the local government but were repelled by the soldiers, killing scores of them in that midnight attack.
According to a source close to Sarkin Pawa, the gunmen and their victims are currently stranded at Kuchi river bank as the water was said to have risen to a level they could not cross due to the heavy downpour through the night.
The gunmen, it was gathered successfully cross the river to the community but after their operation which lasted all through the night and inside the rain, returned only to meet the water level unbearable to cross.
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“As I speak to you they are now stranded at the river because they couldn’t cross. The water level has risen so high that they could not cross, so right now they are waiting for it to reduce before they can move with their victims”, our source said
Our source further hinted that security agents have been mobilized to the area with a view to rescue the victims, but added that “they Security people including local vigilante are being careful to avoid being ambushed by the gunmen in their usual way”.
It could be recalled that Kuchi, a railway town in Munya local government remained one of the most tormented communities in the area by gunmen, forcing the people to relocate.
The plight of this predominant farming community was however compounded when security agents code named special hunters withdrew their services after an attack on their camp in Galkogo, Shiroro local government area of the state, killing eight of them and seven local vigilantes.
Also the local vigilantes that were providing some services in the community equally withdrew their services, sighting lack of payment of their allowances by either the local government or state government, living the people vulnerable to attack.
They however returned back to the community at the start of the raining season to embark on their farming activities about three months ago, surrendering their fate to God.
Meanwhile there is no statement from either the state government or the state police command on the latest attack as at the time of filing this reports.
SUN