Suspected terrorists have attacked Agwara Local Government Area of Niger State, killing one person, setting ablaze a church and a police station, and abducting several residents.
The attack occurred in Agwara community when armed bandits invaded the area and targeted the police station, according to the Niger State Police Command.
Confirming the incident, the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Wasiu Abiodun, said a tactical police team engaged the attackers but was eventually overpowered.
“The armed bandits attacked the police station, and our tactical team on ground engaged them,” Abiodun said. “However, they later overpowered the team and used suspected dynamite to set the station ablaze.”
He said the attackers later moved to the United Missionary Church of Africa (UMCA) in the community, where part of the building was burnt, before proceeding to other areas.
Abiodun added that about five persons were abducted during the attack, noting that their identities were yet to be ascertained.
“The situation is being closely monitored, and further developments will be communicated,” he said.
Reacting to the incident, the Catholic Bishop of Kontagora Diocese and Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in Niger State, Most Rev. Bulus Yohanna, called on the Federal Government, the Nigerian Army, and other security agencies to establish a permanent military formation in Agwara to stem the recurring attacks.
Also speaking, Murtala Dantoro, son of the late Emir of Borgu, Haliru Dantoro, said persistent terrorist assaults had transformed once-peaceful communities into areas of fear and uncertainty.
“Innocent lives are being lost, farmers have abandoned their farmlands, economic activities have been paralysed, and families are forced to flee their ancestral homes in search of safety,” Dantoro said.
He warned that the growing security vacuum had emboldened criminals, worsening both the humanitarian and economic situation in the affected communities.
