By Laleye Dipo
Bandits on Wednesday killed a riot policeman and injured another in Mariga Local Government Area of Niger State.
The injured policeman is now receiving treatment at the Minna General Hospital where he was rushed to after the incident.
THISDAY learnt that the riot policemen, who were on routine patrol around Mariga town cattle market, were ambushed by the bandits and in the shootout that ensued, the riot policeman whose identity is still unknown, was killed.
The latest development came only about 12 hours after bandits kidnapped seven people in Shamuyanbu village in Kusherki District of Rafi Local Government Area of the state.
Four of those kidnapped — Maryam Usman, Safiya Bagobiri,Salamatu Hassan and Safiya Bagobiri — are women.
Locals also gave the names of the men kidnapped as Yunusa Malam, Kabiru Shamuyanbu and Abdulkarim Musa.
The locals said the bandits rode on motorcycles and shot sporadically to instill fears in the villagers.
“They forced their victims on the motorcycles with the bandits riding and another behind the victims and sped away.
“They are yet to get to the relations of the victims,” the eyewitness said.
Efforts to get official confirmation from the Niger State Police Command Public Relations Officer, ASP Wasiu Abiodun, was unsuccessful as he could not be reached on his cell phone and neither was he in the office when THISDAY called.
Bandits had run riot last week in Munya and Rafi Local Government Areas kidnapping no fewer than 25 people.
The cashier of Munya Local Government Area, Mr Jonathan Cashier, and the Speaker of the legislative arm of the Council, Malam Musa Alhassan, were among those abducted, while in Rafi, one Salisu Buhari was killed by the bandits.
