A tragic incident unfolded on Thursday in the Madaka community of Niger State, where bandits attacked a popular market, resulting in the deaths of traders and customers. This devastating event occurred just two days after another bandit attack in Pangu Gari, where the district head and four others were killed. The community was still reeling from this tragedy when the Rafi market was targeted.
Residents, who spoke anonymously, revealed that the bandits struck at 3 pm, during the market's peak hours, catching everyone off guard. They indiscriminately opened fire, leading to the deaths of an unspecified number of individuals. The assailants' motives remain unclear, but the impact on the community has been profound.
Niger State Commissioner for Homeland Security, Bello Mohammed, confirmed the bandit attack, expressing the government's commitment to working with security agencies to curb such attacks on farming communities. These assaults have left farmers in more than nine local governments in the state living in fear, with reports of killings, destruction of farm produce, and demands for levies from farmers to access their farms.
The state government's collaboration with security agencies aims to halt these attacks and restore safety to farming communities. However, the continued presence of bandits underscores the ongoing challenges and threats faced by residents, particularly those in rural areas dependent on agriculture for their livelihoods.
