Banditry: Niger communities seek divine intervention as attacks intensify

Residents of Niger North Senatorial District have turned to prayers for divine intervention as bandit attacks continue to devastate farming communities across the region.

Worshippers gathered at the Eid Prayer Ground in Kontagora, the headquarters of Kontagora Local Government Area, to seek Allah’s help in ending the persistent insecurity that has forced thousands from their homes.

The prayer session, attended by hundreds of Muslim faithful from Kontagora, Mashegu, Rijau, and Magama local government areas, followed weeks of violent raids that left communities in fear.

Several villages, including Genu, Warari, Shambo, Sabon-Gari, Dukku, and Tungan-Buni, have come under repeated attacks, leading many residents to flee in the middle of the night.

Some displaced families narrated that they now sleep on mountains or have relocated to Kontagora for safety.

“Bandits came to Shambo repeatedly from Saturday through Tuesday.

“We returned on Wednesday and saw that shops and houses were destroyed.

“We even found one dead body — not from our village — likely caught in the attack,” a fleeing resident said.

Farmers lamented that their crops ready for harvest were destroyed as the attackers grazed rustled cattle on their farmlands.

In response, a resident of Kontagora, Comrade Zakari Y. Adamu, confirmed that Nigerian Air Force strikes had killed several terrorists moving with stolen cattle around Yabawa, Bazana, Awallah, Dankolo, Kumbashi, and Kakihum communities.

He said the operation targeted bandits fleeing with livestock rustled from Ragada and surrounding villages in Mariga Local Government Area.

Despite the air strikes, residents say fear still grips many communities, prompting continued prayers for peace and lasting security in the troubled region.