Gunmen kill 1, kidnap 9 in Niger

Gunmen Thursday night kidnapped eight women and a man in a residence in Kuchi community in Munya Local Government Area of Niger State.

The assailants were also said to have killed a villager they encountered on the way out of the community after the raid.

A relation of the abductees, Alhaji Salisu Afakallah said the abducted women were nursing mothers and wives of his younger brothers, while the man is his cousin.

He said the gunmen broke the house gate opened at about 11:30 pm and picked everyone.

He said the assailants took advantage of a wedding ceremony around the area.

He said the gunmen also shot two male relations who were currently receiving treatment at an undisclosed hospital.

“They (abductors) called on Friday to demand N800 million ransom as a condition for releasing those abducted, “he said.

“Some of the children are barely two months old, we don’t know the situation which they are in and we are very worried,” he lamented.

He appealed to the state government to ensure the release of those in captivity as “there is no way the family members can raise the ransom demanded by the gunmen.”

The acting chairman of the council, Mr Joshua Musa, confirmed the incident, but said security operatives were on top of the situation.

He said from the security reports available to him, all the abducted persons were women, while one person was shot during the attack.

The Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Abubakar Dan-Inna, said he was yet to be briefed about the development.