The police in Minna, Niger State, have confirmed the death of no fewer than 13 people in two Niger villages in Shiroro Local Government Area of the state.
The police said the deceased villagers were killed while harvesting their crops in Nukundna and Wurukuchi villages on Tuesday.
The Police Public Relations Officer, Niger State Police Command, DSP Wasiu Abiodun, in a statement, said that details of the attack “are still sketchy as a result of the difficult terrain of the villages”.
Abiodun said the Divisional Police Officer in the area has led men of the Tactical Team of the force to begin a manhunt for the bandits.
He assured the people of the state that the police will continue to protect the lives and property of the citizens but solicited for information that could lead to the arrest of the bandits.
THISDAY however gathered from reliable sources that the death toll was higher than the figure claimed by the police.
It was also gathered that houses in one of the villages were completely burnt down making some of the villagers to seek accommodation and shelter in Kuta, the headquarters of the local government .
Efforts to get the chairman of the local government, Alhaji Sulaiman Chikuba, for comments was abortive as the communication network to the area appears to have been jammed as a result of the ongoing military operation in the area and other bandit prone towns and villages in the state.
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