District head, police inspector, 33 others killed by herdsmen

Unidentified gunmen suspected to be cattle rustlers on Tuesday in Niger state killed about 35 persons, the police and community sources said. The victims according to a reliable source included the district Head of Allawa in Shiroro, a police inspector and 33 others.

The source disclosed that the attackers, numbering about 40, used machine guns and other dangerous weapons, adding that, it believes the attackers are Fulani herdsmen. The operation lasted some two hours during which the attackers set more than 25 houses ablaze and injured many. Consequent upon this, many villagers have been displaced as a result of the incident.

The Police Public Relations Officer in Niger, ASP Bala Elkana, confirmed the incident but said that the command had yet to confirm the number of casualties.

He said a policeman was among those killed and added that the incident occurred in the night.

He sited the lack of communication between Allawa and other parts of the state as the main reason the security agencies could not respond on time.

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