AGAIN: See What Bandits Did To Traditional Ruler, Others In Niger | READ DETAILS

According to reports. the wife of the slain village head is also among the other 24 persons kidnapped in Munya by same bandits on Tuesday .

It was gathered that the bandits numbering up to fifty, and armed with AK47 rifles plus other weapons, invaded the communities on motorcycles, at about 12:30pm. The raid was said to have lasted till about 2:pm same day.

According to eyewitnesses, the bandits rode from village to village, shooting sporadically and ended up killing eleven people including the village head.

Among the eleven killed were five members of the local Vigilante and other youths supporting the group.

They were also said to have moved from house to house and carted away with cash, valuables and foodstuffs.

The secretary of Munya Local Government, Mr. James Isaac Jagaba confirmed the incident but could not ascertain the number of people kidnapped.

He said; ÔÇØI cannot give details of what actually happened now but members of the Vigilante are still battling with the bandits."

Meanwhile, the State Government while confirming the incident in a statement signed by Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Abubakar Sani Bello, Mary Noel Berje, said the increasing activities of kidnappers and bandits in the state is becoming a nightmare to the people.

He described as callous and regrettable, the murder of some of the villagers including the traditional head and challenged the security agencies to intensify their search to 'fish-out' and ensure that the perpetrators of such heinous acts are brought to justice.

"The situation, particularly in the last 72 hours, has become regrettably alarming! While efforts are ongoing to secure the release of the abducted NSTA passengers, we heard that of Kusherki and other areas. We are witnessing these attacks now, almost, on daily basis and it is worrisome" the statement said.