Niger council says 47 farmers abducted as police report more than 20

Suspected bandits have abducted farmers in separate incidents in Mariga Local Government Area of Niger State, according to the local council chairman and the state police command. Mariga Chairman Aliyu Bagga Muhamadu said 47 people were taken while harvesting groundnuts at Tungan Rimi in Ma’undu-Beri Ward. He said the incident occurred on Saturday afternoon and that men working on nearby farms were also seized.

The chairman said the abductors had contacted some relatives and demanded a ransom of ₦2 million for each victim. He added that one of the abducted women had reportedly given birth while in captivity. Security personnel and local vigilantes were mobilised to search for the victims, Muhamadu said.

He reported that the joint team engaged suspected bandits near Alibani village after passing through Kasuwan Garba and Biri, with one vigilante sustaining injuries. Other sources said armed men had been seen moving between Mangoro and Wamba after allegedly emerging from the Dogon Dawa axis. The abducted people were believed to have been taken into Bariki Forest, also known as Ma’undu Forest.

Relatives said some families had not established direct contact with their loved ones or received confirmed information about their locations. The police gave a different account. Police Public Relations Officer SP Wasiu Abiodun said the command had confirmed the abduction of more than 20 people at Mukura village in the Kasuwan-Garba District.

He said the incident was reported on September 28 and occurred at about 3pm on September 27. Abiodun said joint security rescue efforts were continuing. The discrepancy between the council’s figure of 47 and the police estimate of more than 20 had not been resolved in the supplied material.