The Nigeria Police says that terrorists attacked villagers harvesting crops on a farm in Nakundna village, Shiroro Local Government Area (LGA) of Niger State, killing at least 13 farmers.
Spokesperson of Niger State Police Command, Wasiu Abiodun, 13 persons were killed and not 37 as generally reported, confirming that the attack and killings took place on Tuesday.
The Police Spokesperson said a Police tactical team led by the Area Commander in Shiroro had been drafted to the area, stating that the incident was not immediately attended to due to the rough terrain and lack of communication network in the area.
Meanwhile, while the Police confirmed of the attack on only Nakundna, a statement by Niger State Governor, Abubakar Bello, however indicated that the attack spread to another village called Wurukuchi.
Governor Bello, in a statement by his Media aide, Mary Noel-Berje, described the attacks as insane and unacceptable. He added that the act was barbaric and inhumane.
According to the statement, “the governor commiserates with the victims of the attacks which occurred in Nakudna and Wurukuchi communities. He shared in the pains and grief of the victims, reiterating that more decisive actions would be taken to guarantee the lives of the inhabitants of the vulnerable communities.”
The Governor said the worrisome part of the security challenges was the inability of the farmers to harvest their farm produce, which he said might trigger food insecurity in the State.
Mr Bello said a coordinated and simultaneous attack on the terrorists by security agents in the affected States would go a long way towards achieving success.
Despite the assurances of the State government and efforts of the security agencies, terrorists have continued their attacks in the Northwest and Northcentral areas of Niger State, with officials saying that over 151, 380 people, mostly peasant farmers, were displaced by the activities of bandits in the last two years.
The displaced persons were registered in 13 local government areas of the state, with Rafi council area neighbouring Zamfara and Kaduna topping the chart with 28,987 displaced persons.
In the Shiroro council area, where the latest incident occurred, over 27,678 persons were displaced within the period.