By Ado Oyeyemi
Bandits have reportedly razed a primary school in Dekara, Borgu Local Government Area of Niger State, days after allegedly collecting a N10 million levy from communities in the area.
Residents said the attackers set the Central Primary School, Dekara, on fire during an invasion of the town on Wednesday, despite assurances that no further attacks would occur after the payment of the levy.
A resident, who spoke on condition of anonymity for security reasons, said the gunmen emerged from the Kainji Lake National Park before launching the attack on the community.
According to the source, communities across the Dekara District had raised the N10 million demanded by the bandits after they threatened to unleash violence if the money was not paid.
The resident explained that the payment was made in the hope of securing peace, as the bandits had allegedly promised to allow villagers to remain in their homes without further harassment.
“The bandits demanded N10 million from the communities in the district.
We paid because they threatened to attack us if we failed to comply. But after receiving the money, they still invaded the district headquarters and burnt down the primary school,” the source said.
Meanwhile, the bandits were also reported to have carried out fresh attacks on Dnakau, Lanta and Unguwan Kawo communities in Shiroro Local Government Area of the state.
Residents said one person was killed while another was abducted during the separate attacks.
The abducted victim was identified as Moses Joseph of Unguwan Kawo, while Emma, a resident of Bagna community, was reportedly shot dead during the raid.
Efforts to obtain the reaction of the Niger State Police Command were unsuccessful, as the command’s spokesperson, SP Wasiu Abiodun, neither answered telephone calls nor responded to a text message sent to him as of the time this report was filed.
