As Niger State government makes efforts to ensure safe release of students and teachers abducted from Government Science College Kalgara and the passengers, of State Transport Service NSTA, bandits have again struck in Gurmana killing 9 and abducting 17 People.
LEADERSHIP Sunday gathered that the bandits invaded Gurmana a major town in Shiroro local government area of the state at about 3pm .
It was learnt that the bandits shot at people trying to run across River Kaduna randomly with nine confirmed dead as at the time of filing this report.
Eye witness account revealed that the bandits numbering fifty invaded the village on a motorbike, wielding AK 47 rifle and other dangerous arms.
A resident of Gurmana Yusuf Mohammed told LEADERSHIP Sunday that “the bandits have been operating around Gurmana town but this is the first time they are launching a deadly attack on the town , an indication that they were gradually coming to urban centres”
Another resident of Gurmana, Abdullahi Garba said that “for now we can confirm nine dead bodies, many of our people ran into the bush and some through the water as they were shooting at them randomly, we can now see nine dead bodies”.
Attempt to get the Police Public Relation Officer Wasiu Abiodun proved abortive as his line was not going through but police sources confirmed that there were such attack today at Gurmana and Mobile policemen were mobilized to the area.
Meanwhile the Niger State House of Assembly has expressed the need to amend the law relating to kidnapping to provide adequate punishment for people who serve as informants to bandits in the State.
The Speaker of the House, Abdullahi Bawa Wuse stated this when he led other members of the State Legislature to the Government House to commiserate with the Governor on the recent abduction of Students and NSTA bus passengers recently.
“We have decided that by next week, we will amend the law to include with a view to giving informants the deserved punishment,” he said.
Wuse said the Legislative arm of Government is worried about the recent and unfortunate happenings in the State and that it is aware Government is doing a lot to ensure the safe release of the kidnapped victims.
LEADERSHIP
