In Niger State, bandits have slain Mukhtar Abbas, the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) for Paiko, the Paikoro Local Government Area’s administrative center, and four other police officers.
On February 11, 2023, bandits who tried to attack various communities in the Gurara Local Government Area engaged the police in a gun battle, which resulted in the deaths of both parties.
However, some of the bandits were neutralized, according to DSP Wasiu Abiodun, the State Police Command’s spokesperson, who confirmed the tragedy in a statement made available to newsmen on Sunday.
Abiodun claims that the Police have already dispatched a reinforcement team to the area and have removed the dead personnel’s remains.
Before assuring the public that the Command will not back down in the fight against banditry and other criminal activities in the State, he said the command had expressed condolences to the families of the afflicted troops.
At about 1100hrs, information was received that armed bandits were sighted around Kwakuti-Dajigbe villages area of Lambata, in an attempt to attack some communities around Gurara LGA, he stated.
“Combined teams of police from Gawu-Babangida Div and Paiko Div, military, and vigilante members were drafted to the scene, the hoodlums were engaged in a gun duel and repelled with scores of them being neutralized, while others escaped with bullet injuries, he added
In a related development, the PPRO said at about 3pm on Friday suspected armed bandits/insurgents attempted to attack the Chibani village market via Sarkin-Pawa, in Munya Local Government Area.
He said the Police tactical teams and vigilante members were mobilized to the market where the hoodlums were routed and successfully repelled without any havoc, though the situation caused some panic but normalcy was restored.
Meanwhile, a commercial driver who ply Minna-Abuja, Adamu Usman, told Daily Trust that bandits in their numbers blocked Minna-Abuja road around 10am on Saturday for several hours, forcing many travellers to return home.
“Yesterday in our parks in Minna and Jabi, Abuja, passengers were scarce because when people heard what happened, many people went back home. Before I could get passengers from Minna to Abuja yesterday, it was around 1pm. Our colleagues who were caught on road said bandits were in large numbers somewhere around Kwakuti with hundreds of cattle. So, they had to return to Minna and from there, many passengers postponed their journeys. I did not leave until I heard that they had crossed to the other side. If you had gone to Jabi park yesterday, you wouldnt have seen many passengers going to Minna. he said.