BANDITS TORCH POLICE STATION, CHURCH IN NIGER COMMUNITY

BANDITS TORCH POLICE STATION, CHURCH IN NIGER COMMUNITY


Suspected armed bandits have set ablaze a police station and part of a church in Agwara community, Niger State, during an early-morning attack on Sunday, security authorities have confirmed.

The Niger State Police Command disclosed the incident in a statement issued in Minna by the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Wasiu Abiodun.

According to the police, the attack occurred at about 3:40 a.m. when the assailants invaded the Agwara Police Station. Officers on duty reportedly engaged the attackers, but the bandits later overpowered the police tactical team.

SP Abiodun said the attackers used suspected dynamite to set the police facility on fire before moving to other locations within the community.

“The assailants subsequently moved to the United Methodist Church (UMC) in the community, where they burnt part of the church building,” the police spokesman stated.

He added that the bandits later proceeded to other areas of Agwara, where they abducted about five persons, whose identities had yet to be confirmed as of the time of filing this report.

The police said the situation is being closely monitored, assuring residents that further developments would be communicated in due course.

SP Abiodun confirmed that security agencies have commenced investigations, while efforts have been intensified to track down the perpetrators and secure the release of the abducted victims.

Niger State, located in Nigeria’s North-Central region, has continued to grapple with recurrent banditry and violent attacks by armed criminal groups.

In November 2025, bandits reportedly abducted over 300 students and 12 teachers from St. Mary’s School in Papiri. This was followed by a series of deadly attacks from late December 2025 into early January 2026.

On January 3, heavily armed assailants on motorcycles reportedly killed no fewer than 42 residents, abducted women and children in Kasuwan Daji village within Agwara Local Government Area, and set several homes and the local market on fire.

Authorities say security operations are ongoing to restore calm and protect vulnerable communities across the state.

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