20 People Drown While Trying to Escape Bandits' Attack in Niger

• A fresh attack by bandits in Niger state on Wednesday, March 30, has led to the drowning of at least 20 people
• Eyewitnesses said the victims were fleeing from the bandits when they got drowned in the Guni-Zumba river
• Shehu Abubakar, one of the residents in the community, said the boat was loaded beyond capacity, forcing it to capsize

Munya LGA, Niger state - At least, twenty people, including women and children, drowned in the Guni-Zumba river while trying to escape a fresh attack by bandits on Wednesday, March 30.

Daily Trust reported that the victims escaped when bandits attacked Guni and Kurgbaku communities of Munya local government area of Niger state.

The newspaper cited sources as saying that the victims were crossing the river to Zumba and Gwada IDP camps through the boat when they got drowned.

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Boat loaded beyond capacity, says residents

Shehu Abubakar, a resident, said the boat was loaded beyond capacity, forcing it to capsize in the middle of the water.

He was quoted to have said:

“Bandits invaded our communities this morning, and in an attempt to flee, some people drowned in Guni-Zumba river. Due to overloading, the boat capsized in the middle of the water.

"For now, we don’t know the number casualties because we have not been able to rescue anybody but I can tell you that over 20 people, including women and children, were involved.”

Another resident named Michael Madaki spoke on the tragic incident.

His words:

“Bandits attacked Guni community in Munya LGA of Niger State, the villagers trying to escape but their boat capsized.”

Also reporting the development, The Nation put the number of those drowned at "no fewer than 16".

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Bandits gun down DPO, 6 other security operatives in Niger state

In another report, armed bandits recently killed at least seven security operatives, including the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in charge of Nasko, Magama local government area of Niger state.

The tragic incident happened around 1pm on Tuesday, March 15.

Legit.ng gathered that the gunmen who attempted to launch an attack on Nasko were engaged by the security operatives, comprising the police, military and local vigilantes.

Source: Legit.ng