The bandits who came in their numbers on Monday morning, were said to have completely burnt down three of those communities invaded.
No fewer than 300 people have been sacked from communities in the Munya local government area of Niger State by gunmen suspected to be bandits.
It was learnt that the bandits who came in their numbers on Monday morning, were said to have completely burnt down three of those communities invaded.
Communities affected include, Kachiwe, Sabon and Sohon Kabula, Gidan mangoro, Zagzaga among others
It was gathered that there is no actual number of casualties yet, but number of families have declared their relations missing, including women and children.
According to the Sun, a source close to one of the communities said that only men of the local vigilantes were on ground to provide some level of security, noting that the number of the bandits overwhelmed them, and they had to make a retreat.
Worst hit in the attack is Kachiwe and other surrounding communities where the bandits were said to have burnt down entire households as the people escaped into the bush for safety.
The entire communities have been turned to ghost homes as the people have relocated to other nearby communities yet to be affected by the ongoing attack, the report revealed.
“There are security agents but they are just stationed at Sarkin Power, they are aware of the attacks but no response yet from them. The vigilantes had to run back because of the numbers of the bandits who are over 60, and all armed," a source said.
However a government official said “the situation is serious. As I speak with you now, the bandits are said to be moving from one community to the other in their large numbers.
“Their number overwhelmed the local vigilantes and the hunters on ground but the government is trying to mobilize vigilantes from other areas to complement their numbers.
“We don’t have number of casualties yet but an attack like this, there will surely be casualties. The bandits are still attacking the people”, he said.
The Munya Council Chairman, Mallam Garba Mohammed Daza, was said to have taken to his heels and gone underground as all his cell phones were switched off.
Some of the people said they could not reach him as of the time of filing this report.