No fewer than three persons have lost their lives while 30 others were abducted by gun-wielding terrorists, who laid a siege on a market in Manigi District, Mashegu Local Government Area of Niger State, on Thursday.

It was learnt that the bandits came with motorcycles, invaded the village’s market at about 3:00am on Thursday.

A source said,

The market opens on Friday and people from other villages often pass the night there on the eve of the market day.

Other sources added that the three people that died were killed in their sleep, and that the perpetrators robbed some of the people they met in the market.

Seven shops were looted and 30 people abducted, they also said.

The families of kidnapped persons in Manigi Village are expecting calls from bandits for ransom negotiation, and that half of the 30 villagers earlier kidnapped in Gwaji Village, in the Mashegu Local Government Area of the state, have been freed after meeting ransom conditions.

A source informed newsmen that 13 out of the 15 people released are from one family.

For the 13 people, the bandits collected N8million, N200,000 airtime and N70,000 alcohol,

he said.

Justin Nwosu

Justin Nwosu is the founder and publisher of Flavision. His core interest is in writing unbiased news about Nigeria in particular and Africa in general. He’s a strong adherent of investigative journalism, with a bent on exposing corruption, abuse of power and societal ills.