Armed men suspected to be marauding bandits operating from Kainji Lake National Park have reportedly attacked a village market in Kabe District, Borgu Local Government Area of Niger State, setting it ablaze, killing 30 villagers, and abducting scores.
The incident occurred on Saturday at Kasuwan Daji market in Demo village, which the bandits reportedly accessed via Kabe.
According to AP, the gunmen stormed the Kasuwan-Daji village in Niger state’s Borgu local government area on Saturday evening and opened fire on residents. They also razed down the local market and several houses, Niger state police spokesman Wasiu Abiodun said in a statement.
At least two residents put the death toll at 37 and said it could be much higher as some people remained missing as of Sunday. Residents also said security forces are yet to arrive in the area, contradicting the police’s claim that they have deployed officers to search for those kidnapped.
Rev. Fr. Stephen Kabirat, spokesman for the Catholic Church of Kontagora Diocese where the attack happened, told local media that the gunmen killed more than 40 people and that some of those abducted were children.
Reports claim that the assailants not only burned the market but also looted food items and other wares, shot at villagers, and abducted many along paths leading to the expansive Kainji Lake National Park forest.
Confirming the attack, Niger State Police Command’s Public Relations Officer, Wasiu Abiodun, said a joint security team had visited the scene, and efforts were ongoing to rescue the kidnapped victims.
“Over 30 victims lost their lives during the attack, some persons were also kidnapped,” Abiodun told AFP, adding that the raid happened on Saturday.
Saturday’s attack in Kasuwan-Daji village happened near the Papiri community, where more than 300 schoolchildren and their teachers were kidnapped from a Catholic school in November.
