Gunmen kill district head, policeman, 33 others in Niger

The District Head of Allawa village in Shiroro local government area of Niger State along with his brother, 33 villagers and a police Inspector were killed in a midnight raid by unknown gunmen on Tuesday.

The gunmen, who were suspected to be Fulani herdsmen, invaded the village with dangerous weapons including sophisticated machine guns and started shooting at the villagers.

Several villagers were seriously wounded while trying to escape the invaders, while 25 houses were razed by the invaders.

The attack which lasted two hours left the villagers helpless as no security agency came to their aid.

The motive for the attack remains unknown as there have not been any friction between members of Allawa village and Fulani herdsmen in the locality.

Confirming the incident, the state’s Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Bala Elikana, who expressed shock at the death of innocent people, said the command has not been able to get the exact number of victims of the attack.