Nineteen persons have been kidnapped by gunmen in Ogu and Tegina communities of Rafi local government area of Niger state, ChannelsTV has reported.
The Chief of Staff to Rafi council chairman, Mohammed Mohammed who confirmed the incident, said a resident of Ogu, Kamal Wayam said the kidnappers stormed the village Sunday morning, shooting sporadically.
“The gunmen in their large number arrived in Ogu on motorcycles and before we knew what was happening, they started shooting into the air.
“They ransacked people’s houses and whatever valuable they could lay their hands on, they carted away.
“They also abducted six persons from Ogu. Four of the persons abducted were members of one family while the other two were visitors to the community,” Wayam said during his conversation with Mohammed.
According to the Chief of Staff, a resident of the community, Sani Gamachindo told him that the attack on Tegina community happened at about 12:30am on Monday where 16 people were abducted.
“The gunmen entered the room of my daughter that night, but she hid herself under the bed, while her husband went up the ceiling.
“When the gunmen entered their room, they spent like 30 minutes and ate almost all the food in the kitchen. Thank God they were not abducted, but 16 persons were kidnapped,” Gamachindo said.
The latest attacks in Rafi LGA came barely four days after gunmen abducted a youth leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), the District Head of Gunna, and two children of two health workers in Garin Gabbas and Yakila communities in the local government.
In the same vein, a pastor with the Evangelical Church Winning All, ECWA, Jeremiah Ibrahim was killed by gunmen in Chukuba community of Shiroro local government area of the state.
The clergyman who was serving at the branch of the church in Kuta was murdered on Friday last week.
ChannelsTV reports that the Spokesperson of Niger state command, DSP Wasiu Abiodun could not pick calls put to him for reaction.
