Kagara town, the headquarters of Rafi Local Government Area of Niger State became a bizarre theatre of brazen banditry for nearly four hours on Wednesday as gun-toting hoodlums had a field day killing, looting, and abducting residents.
There were reports of the sighting of a hovering helicopter, which no one knows who owns, but it was said to have flown away after a while as the bandits moved from shop to shop, and stormed a bank that was closing for the day. A policeman and a security guard were among many said to have been killed while tens were said to have been abducted.
It is not exactly known how much was stolen at the bank, but a social media post emerged showing the confused state of the town.
It is not the first time there have reports of choppers hovering over communities in the country, but yet no tangible reasons have been given for their presence by either the Nigerian Air Force or other security agencies.
There were said to be about 100 bandits that stormed the town on motorcycles and a bus, as hapless victims ran around confused and the security agents were nowhere to be found for the period the attack lasted.
As always, the state government assured angry residents it would deploy resources to deal with the numbing situation and secure them.
This appeal is coming against the backdrop of bandits’ attack on the town and the panic elicited by a social media video, in which the residents of the area were seen running helter skelter and calling for intervention from the state government and the army.
In a message of condolence, Governor Abubakar Sani Bello, maintained that no responsible government will fold its arms and allow law abiding and innocent citizens to be mauled down.
The Governor acknowledged the enormity of the security challenges facing the state, but assured the people that the state in active collaboration with President Muhammadu Buhari and the security agencies remain undaunted in its war against the lower societal elements making life miserable for the people.
The Governor commiserated with the families of those who lost their lives in the attack, and prayed for speedy recovery for the injured victims.
He solicited the cooperation of the people for their useful information to the security agencies, assuring them that their identity will be kept confidential