Bandits Abduct 24 Farmers In Fresh Niger Attack, Mutilate Blind Man

By Emmanuel Kwada 

In a harrowing escalation of violence in Niger State, bandits have abducted 24 farmers, including pregnant women, from a rice farm in the Palaita community of Erena Ward, Shiroro Local Government Area.

The attack occurred around 2:00 pm on Wednesday, as residents were harvesting crops, despite the proximity of a military base just five kilometers away.

Eyewitnesses reported that the armed assailants struck swiftly, overpowering the farmers and fleeing with their captives before security forces could intervene.

This incident follows a separate but equally brutal assault earlier that day in the nearby Kakuru community, also in Erena Ward, where bandits invaded a home and mutilated a blind resident.

The attackers, arriving around 8:00 am, found only the visually impaired man at home while others were at their farms. After seizing a mobile phone that he explained belonged to a neighbor, the bandits amputated his right hand in a fit of rage.

The victim is currently receiving first aid at a patent medicine shop in the Kuduru community.

Niger State Police Command Public Relations Officer, Wasiu Abiodun, confirmed the incidents, noting a report received on November 26 at about 8:00 pm of suspected armed men abducting about ten persons from Angwan-Kawo and Kuchipa villages in the same Shiroro area.

“Efforts are being made to rescue the victims,” Abiodun stated, underscoring ongoing operations to address the crisis.

These attacks come amid a surge in banditry in Niger State, with recent reports highlighting the vulnerability of rural communities. Just days earlier, on November 21, suspected bandits killed two farmers and abducted four others in a fresh attack in neighboring Kwara State.

In Shiroro itself, bandits killed 13 farmers in a similar raid, as confirmed by the Niger State Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management. Earlier this month, on November 15, bandits sacked multiple communities in Mashegu Local Government Area, killing 16 vigilantes and abducting 42 residents in coordinated assaults.

The broader security landscape in northern Nigeria remains dire, with over 300 students and teachers abducted from St. Mary’s Catholic School in Papiri, Niger State, barely a week ago. Social media discussions reflect widespread frustration, with users noting that areas like Rafi and Shiroro are heavily impacted by bandit attacks, often underreported in mainstream media.