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Over 30 residents feared dead as gunmen storm village market in Niger State
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Assailants burn market, loot foodstuffs, abduct villagers
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Police confirm attack, say rescue efforts ongoing
No fewer than 30 people were feared killed while many others were kidnapped following an attack by armed men suspected to be bandits on a community in Niger State.
The attackers, believed to be operating from the Kainji Lake National Park, reportedly invaded a village market in Kabe District, Borgu Local Government Area, where they unleashed terror on traders and residents.
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Eyewitness accounts said the assailants set the market ablaze, destroying stalls and goods, while carting away food items and other valuables.
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During the raid, the gunmen were said to have opened fire on villagers, killing many, and abducted several others along footpaths leading into the vast forest surrounding the Kainji Lake National Park.
Confirming the incident, the Niger State Police Public Relations Officer, Wasiu Abiodun, said a joint security team had already visited the affected community.
“Over 30 victims lost their lives during the attack, some persons were also kidnapped,” Abiodun said.
He added that security operatives are currently combing the area, with efforts intensified to rescue the abducted victims and restore calm to the community.
The latest attack underscores growing security concerns around communities bordering forest reserves in Niger State, which have increasingly been used as hideouts by criminal elements.
