By Obinna Uballa
Bandits have unleashed another wave of terror in Niger State, abducting 24 people – including a pregnant woman – and mutilating a visually impaired resident during coordinated attacks in the same local government area.
The latest incident comes less than a week after terrorists kidnapped 303 schoolchildren from a Catholic school in the the state.
Vanguard Newspaper reports that the latest assault took place on Wednesday in Palaita community, Erena Local Government Area, where armed men stormed a farmland as labourers were harvesting crops.
Eyewitnesses said the attackers overpowered the workers, gathered them at gunpoint and marched them into the forest. One of the victims is a heavily pregnant woman.
In a separate attack within the same council area, the criminals reportedly severed the arm of a blind man after he allegedly failed to “cooperate” with their demands.
The renewed onslaught has triggered widespread fear across neighbouring communities, with residents warning that the deteriorating security situation is spiralling beyond control.
They are calling for urgent action from both state and federal authorities to contain the escalating violence, which has left many communities vulnerable and desperate for protection.
