Hundreds of people have fled their villages in a rural community in Niger State, Nigeria after armed groups attacked over the weekend, killing 10 and leaving at least 160 people missing, according to the local government chairman and two residents on Monday.
Gunmen on motorcycles initially attacked the Kuchi community in Munya Local Government Area on Friday evening, killing five civilians and five hunters who attempted to fight back, before kidnapping dozens of others, according to local chairman Aminu Ajume.
The attackers returned on Sunday night, seizing animals and food and burning shops, causing at least 700 locals to flee to adjacent settlements, Ajume said.
“As I am speaking to you, Munya is (a) no go area. They moved from house to house abducting people … they abducted 160 villagers, including women,” he told Reuters by phone.
The police and army spokespersons in Niger state did not respond to several requests for comment.
Maryam Abubakar, a resident, said she hid in the toilet when she heard sporadic gunfire around 1900 GMT on Friday and gunmen burst into her home shortly after.
“It was raining at that time. The bandits entered the house, searched the rooms and kitchen and they took my aunt and her two children,” Abubakar said, adding the three were still missing.
Musa Auwal was in his shop in Niger State when gunmen attacked on Friday but he hid in a nearby bush, he said. When he returned the next day, his shop had been looted, so he fled to stay with relatives 60 km away.
A year after President Bola Tinubu took office vowing to remove pervasive instability, kidnappings in northwest Nigeria by gunmen, bandits and armed gangs demanding ransoms have become nearly normal, with officials seemingly powerless to stop them.
