Residents of Garam, a border community between Niger state and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), were thrown into panic when bandits invaded the village on motorcycles, seeking direction to Jere, a community in Kaduna State.
A witness said the bandits brandishing AK 47, swords and arrows, spotted military camouflage, while some put on combat trousers, spent several minutes in the community.
The witness said, “On Monday afternoon, bandits numbering more than 100 came into Garam in broad daylight on bikes. The bikes were more than 40 and three bandits were on each bike. They openly displayed AK 47, they also had arrows and swords. Most people ran for their lives because they are not sure what will happen next.”
Another witness said she saw people running when the bandits came with their bikes.
“I saw people running when the bandits arrived. I also peeped where I was hiding and I saw some of them using scarves to cover their faces, while some used masks. Some of them wore combat trousers.”
Our correspondent learnt that the following day, the bandits invaded the community and raided houses to kidnap people.
A witness said: “The bandits started attacking around 10:30p.m. They started burgling shops, especially the shops where some boys were sleeping. They later entered a house close to ours, forced the gate open, broke the windows and removed the burglary, but none of the occupants slept at home.
“Since the last attack on January 2, most people have stopped sleeping at home. They come in the morning, and leave at night. But after two weeks of relative peace, some people decided to return and the same day, the bandits struck.”
