Gunmen kill 21 in Niger community
Gunmen suspected to be herders Saturday night attacked Etogi community, Gbara ward, in Mokwa local government area of Niger State killing 21 people, Daily Trust learnt yesterday.
Witnesses said the attack followed disagreement between some Fulani youths and members of the community, which led to the death of herder.
According to an account, the herders who maintained a settlement near the community were offered land to farm on the agreement that certain percentage of the proceeds goes to the village head.
Our correspondent learnt that disagreement ensued when the herders failed to remit the agreed percentage this year, saying that the land in question now belongs to them.
Irked by the death of one of them, the herders launched an attack on the community mosque when Muslim faithful were observing their early morning prayers.
Malam Mairo Mohammed told our reporter on phone that the attackers killed everybody in the mosque, including the Imam.
Women and children who were woken by the commotion were said to have fled in different direction with some of them sustaining injuries in the process.
The state police command public relation officer, DSP Bala Elkana, confirmed that 20 people were killed during an early morning prayers.
He said the attack was a reprisal to an earlier killing of a herder by the villagers. The killing of a herder was managed but it appears they were not satisfied and decided to retaliate, DSP Elkana stated.