Bandits have killed 17 miners and other workers at a site in Gurmana Ward of Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger State.
Among the casualties were seven miners, mobile policemen guarding the miners and workers were killed during the attack on Wednesday afternoon.
The attackers, with sophisticated weapons, stormed the community around 2pm and headed to the mining site, killing anyone on sight.
Niger State Commissioner for Internal Security and Humanitarian Affairs, Emmanuel Umar, said the number of thoise killed was unknown yet.
He said, “Niger State Government wishes to confirm that on 29/6/2022 at about 1600hrs, based on a distress call received that bandits/terrorists invaded a mining site located at Ajata Aboki village via Erena Ward of Shiroro LGA and a joint security team were mobilized to the scene in response to the distress call.”
He said there were casualties on both sides, adding that unknown number of workers in the mining site including four Chinese were kidnapped
The commissioner said “security forces mobilized reinforcement for the manhunt of the remaining terrorists and rescue of the injured victims including security personnel that sustained varying degrees of injury have been taken to a government medical facility in the state for treatment.
“While the Niger State Government commiserates with the heads of security agencies in the state and the families of the slain personnel, the state government assures that their sacrifices will not go in vain.”
Umar said the state government acknowledged all the effort of the joint security operatives and that of the communities in the state towards taming the spate of insecurity in some parts of the state.
An anonymous source revealed that about 11 people including seven mobile policemen guarding the site and six other civilian workers were killed during the attack, adding that dozens were wounded by gunshots and in critical conditions.
Co-Convener, Concerned Shiroro Youths, Sani Yusuf Kokki, said unspecified number of Chinese were kidnapped, adding that “kidnap for ransom has become a common phenomenon in our localities.
“These rampaging terrorists attack their victims at will, ironically and unfortunately in some cases without slightest hindrance, resistance or confrontation from the conventional security. Sadly too, defenceless, unarmed and peaceful locals have crassly been abandoned to their fate thereby compelling them to wallow in perpetual agony and misery.”
