…Military chases others fleeing and taking refuge in communities
Our Reporter
As joint security taskforce intensify operations against Bandits and other insurgents across Niger state, over 50 bandits have been killed in an airstrike in River Kusasu in Shiroro local government area of the state.
The Bandits met their waterloo on Wednesday morning when they were trying to escape the onslaught by the men of the joint security taskforce led by the military in Communities around Shiroro and Munya local government areas of the state.
A source close to the communities around river Kusasu told our reporter that the Bandits numbering well over 300 and fleeing from the Military operations in Kaduna and parts of Niger state were said to have hijacked a wooden boat at gunpoint and asked the boat operators to ferry them across the river .
The air component of the operation was said to have sighted the bandits while trying to cross the river and bombed them, killing over 50 of them while scores were injured.
According to our source, the boat operator and assistant were however lucky as they escaped unhurt but their boat were completely destroyed.
The remaining bandits who were waiting for the boat operator to make a return journey to ferry them across the river however took to their hills after sighting what happened .
The bandits were said to have migrated from neighbouring communities around Tshohon Kabula, Beni and Gidan wire, to the area leaving the communities to scramble for their safety.
As at the time of filing this report a detachment of men of the joint security taskforce stationed at Mangoro village, a route hitherto used by the bandits to lunch attacks on Communities around Sarkin Pawa, the headquarters of Munya local government is being combed in search of the fleeing Bandits.
The terrorists were said to be riding three on a motorbike as they escaped to safety and fused into the communities .
One of the villagers whole simply identified himself as Ibrahim told our reporter on phone that the arrival of the fleeing Bandits has made the villagers to scamper for safety as the villagers expressing fears that the bandits could unleash terror on innocent people.
He further said that the bandits have taken over the abandoned residences and food bans of the villagers without attacking them for now while some of the bandits were reportedly stationed at strategic locations in the event of arrival of men of the joint security taskforce and local vigilantes.
It would be recalled that the villagers recently returned to their houses at Tsohon Kabula and sorrounding villages after several months of staying in Internally Displaced People’s Camps in Sarkin pawa because of the restoration of peace in the areas.
All efforts to get the Permanent Secretary Homeland Security Alhaji Tariq Abdulraheem for the confirmation of the story was abortive as he was not responding to calls made to his cell phone.
