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By Correspondent in Minna.
Suspected terrorists have struck Agwara Local Government Area of Niger State, killing an elderly woman and setting ablaze the United Missionary Church of Africa (UMCA) as well as a police station, leaving residents traumatised and communities on edge.
Our correspondent reports that the coordinated attack, which occurred in the early hours of Sunday, reportedly began around 6:00 a.m. when the assailants stormed Agwara town.
After torching a church, the attackers were said to have moved to Sokonba village, near Kabe,an area that has witnessed similar assaults in recent times,unleashing further violence and destruction.
Sources from the affected communities disclosed that the terrorists looted foodstuffs and other valuables from residents’ homes.
In the course of ransacking houses in Kabe town, an elderly woman was killed, while properties valued at several millions of naira were destroyed.
Reacting to the renewed violence, Murtala Dantoro, son of the late Emir of Borgu, lamented that persistent terrorist attacks had transformed once-peaceful communities into zones of fear and uncertainty.
He called on both the state and federal governments to urgently intervene to halt the worsening security situation.
“For how long will this continue? Innocent lives are being lost, farmers are no longer safe on their farms, and many have abandoned their farmlands.
“Virtually all economic activities have been paralysed,” Dantoro said.
He decried a situation where many families had been forced to flee their ancestral homes in search of safety in bushes and neighbouring areas.
According to him, the growing security vacuum has emboldened criminals to operate with little or no resistance.
Also speaking, the Catholic Bishop of Kontagora Diocese and Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Niger State chapter, Most Rev. Bulus Yohanna, made a passionate appeal to the Federal Government, the Nigerian Army, and other security agencies to urgently establish a permanent military formation in Agwara to prevent further attacks.
Meanwhile, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Niger State Command, SP Wasiu A. Abiodun, confirmed the attack in a statement issued to journalists in Minna on Sunday.
“Armed bandits invaded Agwara community and attacked the police station. The police tactical team on ground engaged them, but unfortunately the bandits overpowered the team and used suspected dynamite to set the station ablaze,”he said.
The police PPRO added that the attackers also abducted five persons whose identities are yet to be ascertained, pointing out that police is monitoring
developments in the area.
Edited by Dada Ahmed.
