Gunmen Kill Clergy, Kidnap 19 In Niger state

Unknown gunmen in their large numbers, reportedly raided a village in the Rafi Local Government Area of Niger state yesterday and abducted at least 19 people.

According to the report reaching Naija News at this time, the yet to be identified gunmen stormed the two communities of Ogu and Tegina in the early hour of Sunday morning, December 13 and started shooting sporadically.

“The gunmen in their large number arrived in Ogu on motorcycles and before we knew what was happening, they started shooting into the air,” residents told newsmen.

They confirmed further that the several houses were ransacked and people’s valuable were carted away during the attack.

“They also abducted six persons from Ogu. Four of the persons abducted were members of one family while the other two were visitors to the community,” Kamal Wayam, a resident revealed.

Narrating the ugly incident, a resident of Tegina community, Sanni Gamachindo, told reporters that their community was attacked at about 12:30 am on Monday, December 14, and about 16 persons were abducted.

“The gunmen entered the room of my daughter that night, but she hid herself under the bed, while her husband went up the ceiling,” Sani Gamachindo, a resident of the community, told Mohammed,

He revealed further that “When the gunmen entered their room, they spent like 30 minutes and ate almost all the food in the kitchen. Thank God they were not abducted, but 16 persons were kidnapped.”

In the same vein, a pastor with the Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA), Jeremiah Ibrahim, was reportedly murdered at Chukuba, a community in Shiroro LGA on Friday, December 11.

Naija News reports that an elder of the Church whose name is withheld for security reasons said “Pastor Ibrahim had gone to check his farm in Chukuba and decided to visit a colleague who was the resident pastor of Chukuba when he was attacked and killed.” 

He, however, confirmed that the clergyman has since been buried. “This is coming barely two weeks after six missionaries of ECWA and the wife of one of them were abducted,” he said

No statement, however, as at the time this report is given has been made by the state police command.

Meanwhile, the Nigerian Army has killed three robbers and arrested four others in Katsina-Ala Local Government Area of ​​Benue State on Saturday.

The military headquarters said troops from Operation Whirl Stroke raided a gang camp in the villages of Tomatar Ugba and Kundi, killing three, Naija News reports.