Over 30 people have been killed by bandits in Kachiwe and adjourning villages in Sarkin Pawa headquarters of the Munya Local Government Area of the state.
The people were said to have been killed on Tuesday the bandits who sneaked from their hideout in Kaduna State.
A source from one of the villages said, “A lot of people were killed during the attack. More than 30 people were killed because they raided many communities in the area.”
The Secretary to the Government of Niger State, Alhaji Ahmed Matane, confirmed the attack during a telephone interview in Minna, but did not give the actual number of those who died from the attack.
He said, “Yes it is true but we don’t know the exact number, but the security people are trying to verify. The bandits went into about three communities; they burnt one of the villages completely. For now we can’t say the exact number of casualties from the attack.”
Matane said the state government was not resting on its oars to rid the state of crime and criminality.
Similarly, the Commissioner of Police in Niger State, Mr Monday Kuryas, confirmed the attack in a telephone interview in Minna.
Kuryas said investigation into the matter had commenced to enable them track down the perpetrators of the criminal act.
He said, “A team of policemen have been despatch to the area to safeguard lives and property of people of Sarkin Pawa.”
On the attack in Kagara Rafi LGA by gunmen, he said three people were killed.
Similarly, the Kaduna State Government, as part of efforts to address rising insecurity in the state, has banned the use of motorcycles, popularly known as okada, for commercial and personal purposes.
The state also announced the shutdown of communication networks in some parts of the state beginning from Wednesday.
The state Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Samuel Aruwan, disclosed these during a press conference in Kaduna on Wednesday, three days after bandits killed no fewer than 51 people in the southern part of the state.
Aruwan while addressing journalists, said, “Recall that Governor Nasir El-Rufai announced in a media chat yesterday (September 28, 2021) that the state government had formally requested the Federal Government to enforce the shutdown of telecom services in parts of the state identified by security agencies as requiring such measures.
“The relevant federal agencies have today informed the Kaduna State Government that the processes for telecoms shutdown in parts of the state have commenced.
“As part of the steps to address the current security situation in Kaduna State and neighbouring states in the North-West and North-Central, the state government has held several meetings with security agencies to adopt critical measures towards crushing bandits in their identified hideouts.
“The military and other security forces have been carrying out assaults on the identified locations. The state government is advised that certain measures are now necessary to assist the spirited efforts of these security agencies.
“The following measures become effective from Thursday, September 30 2021; the complete ban on the use of motorcycles (okada), for commercial or personal purposes, for three months in the first instance; ban on possession of or wielding of dangerous weapons.
“Tricycles are allowed to operate only from 6am to 7pm. All tricycles must remove all curtains. Movement of all tricycles is restricted from dusk till dawn (7pm to 6am).
“All vehicles used for commercial transport must be painted yellow and black within 30 days. Vehicles that are part of ride-hailing services are to carry yellow and black stripes.”
