A Police Inspector, the District Head of Allawa in Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger State, his brother and about 33 others were reportedly killed yesterday night, by unidentified gunmen who invaded the village.
According to reports, the attackers, who were said to be armed with sophisticated weapons, also set more than 25 houses on fire and injured several other villagers before fleeing into the bush. The attack was said to have lasted about two hours, leaving scores of the villagers displaced.
Unconfirmed report indicated that the attackers may be Fulani herdsmen who might be members of Boko Haram allegedly fleeing from their hideout in Sambisa Forest in Borno state.
Niger State Police Public Relations Officer, Bala Elikana, reportedly confirmed the incident and expressed shock and sadness over the loss of innocent lives. He said that the command had not been able to confirm the number of casualty.
He, however, admitted that a policeman was among those killed.
He said that a distress call could not reach security agencies on time because the incident happened at night and as a result, there was no means of communication between Allawa and other parts of the state.
Elikana said that the Commissioner of Police, Alhaji Abubakar Marafa had dispatched the Divisional Police Officer in Kagara and the Police Area Commander in Minna to the troubled village to assess the situation. [myad]
