Laleye Dipo in Minna
Two mobile policemen are reported to have been seriously injured when bandits attacked Garin Gabas near Kagara in the Rafi Local Government Area of Niger state last weekend.
The bandits also set ablaze two operational vehicles belonging to the security operatives and burnt down some houses.
According to a report from the area, the bandits also kidnapped unspecified number of people and rustled scores of cattle.
THISDAY was told that the huge number of bandits was passing through the community to another village which they planned to attack but were sighted by the security men who gave them a hot chase resulting in a fierce gun battle between the gunmen and the operatives.
It was said that the police got the upper hand though the bandits escaped with those kidnapped and the rustled cattle. “On their way out they set some houses on fire” a reliable source informed THISDAY, saying the injured security men are receiving treatment at the Kagara General Hospital.
Meanwhile, the Niger state Governor Alhaji Mohammed Umaru Bago, has commiserated with the victims of the attack, assuring them that his government will not rest on its oars to restore peace to all parts of the state troubled by insurgents.
A statement signed on behalf of the Governor by his Chief Press Secretary, Bago appealed to the people to show more understanding with his administration as he was not leaving anything to chance as regards securing of lives and property of the people.
Governor Bago, according to the statement, “applauded the bravery of the security personnel who engaged the bandits assuring them of the continuous support of the government which has prioritised the safety and well-being of the citizens of the state.”
He prayed for the quick recovery of the two injured security operatives and safe return of those kidnapped.
