No fewer than 13 farmers have been confirmed dead and scores of others sustained varying degrees of injuries when bandits attacked their farm settlement in Niger State.
As gathered, the bandits targeted the community over allegations that members supply intelligence to security agencies on bandits’ movements.
The farmers, who were completing daily routines on their farmland in Alawa community of the Shiroro Local Government Area, were killed by bandits after they got assurance of better security from the Federal and State Governments.
The Shiroro council Chairman, Akilu Isyaku, confirmed the murder of the farmers during an interview with newsmen in Minna the State capital yesterday.
He said the bandits shot nine of the victims to death while four others were killed at a different location the same day.
Meanwhile, the Niger State Acting Governor Yakubu Garba has described the attack as satanic and callous.
Garba, in a statement made available to newsmen, commiserated with the affected families, community members, and the entire people of Shiroro LGA over the unfortunate incident.
Following the attack, it was gathered that several other farmers far away from the scene of the attack had deserted their farmland for fear of attack.
