Airstrike kills over 50 bandits in Niger, as Military intensifies operations

***Scores flee, taking refuge in communities

As joint security taskforce intensified operations against Bandits and other insurgents across Niger state, over 50 Bandits have been killed in an airstrike in River Kusasu in Shiroro local government area of the state.
The Bandits met their Waterloo on Wednesday morning when they were attempting to escape the onslaught by the men of the joint security taskforce led by the military in Communities around Shiroro and Munya local government areas of the state.
A source close to the communities around river Kusasu told our correspondent that the Bandits numbering over 300 who were fleeing from the Military operations in Kaduna and parts of Niger state hijacked a wooden boat and asked the operator to cross the river with them at gun point.
The air component of the operation was said to have sighted the Bandits while trying to cross the river when they were bombed, killing over 50 of them while scores were injured.
According to our source, the operator of the boat and his boat assistant were however lucky as they escaped unhurt but the boat was completely distroyed.
The remaining Bandits who were waiting for the boat operator to make a return journey to ferry them across the river however took to their heels after noticing that their comrades in crime have been bombed.
They were said to have crossed over to communities around Tshohon Kabula, Beni and Gidan wire, as their presence sent jitters down the spines residents who started leaving the communities to safety.
As at the time of filing this report, a detachment of men of the joint security taskforce stationed at Mangoro village, a route hitherto used by the Bandits to launch attacks on Communities around sarkin pawa, the headquarters of Munya local government were combing the bush in search of the fleeing Bandits.
The gunmen were said to be riding three on each motorcycles as they escaped to safety in those communities.
One of the villagers who simply identified himself as Ibrahim told our correspondent on phone that the arrival of the fleeing Bandits has made the villagers to scamper for safety as they began to flee the village, expressing fears that they (Bandits) could unleash terror on them.
He disclosed further that the Bandits have only just taken over the abandoned residences and food bans of the villagers without attacking them for now while some of the bandits were reportedly stationed at strategic locations in the event of arrival of men of the joint security taskforce and local vigilante.
It would be recalled that the villagers recently returned to Tsohon Kabula and sorrounding villages after several months of staying in Internally Displaced People’s Camps in Sarkin pawa because of the restoration of peace in the areas
All efforts to get the Permanent Secretary Homeland Security Alhaji Tariq Abdulraheem for the confirmation of the story was abortive as he was not responding to calls made to his cell phone.