Niger Massacre: 30 Corpses Recovered, 50 Houses Burnt

No less than thirty dead bodies have already been recovered following Thursday’s attack of Madaka village by bandits, during which an unspecified number of people were said to have been killed.

The Village Head, Alhaji Saleh Ahmad Kakuri, Commander of the vigilante and his Deputy Commander under the Madaka District of Rafi local government area of the state were also killed during the attack.

Besides Madaka invasion, the ravaging bandits also stormed Majanjan District of the same local government on the same day.

During the attack, Alhaji Salihu Immahuri, the Maianguwan (Village Head) of Anguwan Bala and his two wives were also killed. A traditional ruler from the area, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed the story.

According to him, “The bandits invaded the village around 3:30 p.m. on Thursday. Over 30 bodies have already been recovered by the villagers.

“They operated for several hours without response from security agencies.”

He said the casualties were much because the attack happened at the peak of trading in the market.

Another source from the area said, “Over 50 houses, including commercial shops, several cars and motorcycles were burnt down during the attack.

“The suspected armed men stormed the village shooting sporadically, killed several people, and burnt down the market.

“They also abducted an unspecified number of the villagers to an unknown destination.

“For now, we cannot say the exact number of people killed or abducted.”

It will be recalled that a similar attack occurred in the same village a few years ago during which many lives were also lost.

Niger state government is yet to comment on the incident.