By Peter Onyekachukwu 
By Peter Onyekachukwu
A farmer was killed and five others abducted when armed bandits attacked Tungan-Gari in Kontagora Local Government Area of Niger North late Thursday night.
Residents said the assailants stormed the community around 11 p.m. and operated for hours without resistance. Four women and one man were among those kidnapped.
“We are left with no option now than to rise up and protect our towns and communities. Anyone who waits for government action now is doing himself,” a resident lamented, praying for divine intervention.
Efforts to reach the Niger State Police Command spokesperson, SP Wasiu Abiodun, were unsuccessful as calls to his line did not connect, while a text message went unanswered.
Meanwhile, Daily Trust gathered that abductors of the former Chairman of the Niger State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), Alhaji Alhassan Bawa Niworo, and Permanent Commissioner 7 of the State Independent Electoral Commission, Barrister Ahmad Mohammed, are demanding N300 million ransom.
A family source said relatives of the victims were still struggling to raise funds to secure their release.
The two senior officials were kidnapped alongside their drivers and several other travellers on Monday, September 29, along Mokwa–New Bussa road in Borgu LGA.
Reports indicate that the officials were returning to Minna from New Bussa, headquarters of Borgu LGA, when they were ambushed. Some of the abductees were traders returning from the weekly market in the area.
Residents disclosed that six LGAs Magama, Mariga, Rijau, Borgu, Kontagora, and Mashegu have suffered sustained attacks in recent weeks.
They added that several communities have witnessed killings, kidnappings, and cattle rustling, leaving locals living in constant fear.
The latest incident adds to growing concerns over insecurity in Niger North Senatorial District, where armed groups continue to terrorize rural communities.