Thirteen farmers were brutally killed by bandits at the Ijuwa outskirts of the Alawa community in Shiroro Local Government Area (LGA) of Niger State.
The LGA Chairman, Akilu Isyaku, confirmed the deaths during an interview with a local radio station in Minna on Wednesday.
He reported that the bandits shot nine victims dead, with four others killed at a different location on the same day.
A local source informed Channels Television that the bandits targeted the community, accusing its members of providing intelligence on their movements to security agencies.
Niger State’s Acting Governor, Yakubu Garba, condemned the attack as “satanic and callous” in a statement, expressing his condolences to the affected families, the community, and the people of Shiroro LGA.
The attack comes at a time when farmers are expected to be active on their farms. As a result, many farmers, even those far from the attack site, have abandoned their fields out of fear.