Bandits have attacked some communities in Mariga Local Council of Niger State, killing 13 people, including security operatives, while many others sustained various degree of injuries.

The attack occurred on Tuesday, July 8, 2025, at about 4 pm The residents of the communities disclosed that the bandits, in large numbers, carrying sophisticated weapons, trooped in from Zamfara State.

According to a report from the area, the three communities that were attacked include Kumbashi, Bangi and Mongoro. One police Mopol and two vigilantes were among the 13 people killed by the bandits.

The Guardian also learnt that bandits had blown up a communication mast to halt communication in the area, allowing them to carry out operations unhindered in those communities.

The report also added that the bandits were out for reprisal attacks on the communities following the recent Air Force raid on hideouts of the criminals, leading to severe casualties on their side.

The Chairman, Mariga Local Council, Alhaji Abbas Kasuwa Garba, confirmed the attack but could not confirm the actual casualty. He said there was a serious tension within the communities as a result of the bandits’ continued presence.

At the time of filing this report, the spokesperson for the Niger State Police Command, SP Wasiu Abiodun, could not be reached for comment.

Meanwhile, the Special Adviser to Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago on Media Strategy and Communication, Mr. Jonathan Tsado Vatsa, has enjoined Nigerians to return to their cultural and traditional ways of combating insecurity in their communities.

Vatsa suggested while speaking to newsmen in Minna, saying that the strategy of the security operatives in fighting insurgency, banditry and Boko Haram has not yielded the desired results over the years.

Vatsa stated that all rural communities should adopt traditional methods of self-defence by emulating the Lafiagi and Patigi communities of Kwara State.

He had earlier reaffirmed the commitment of Governor Bago’s administration to support media organisations in the state, so that the dream of a New Niger could be actualised.

He emphasised the importance of the media collaborating with the government to reiterate the achievements and work in progress of Governor Bago’s administration.

The special adviser hinted that Governor Bago does not need billboards, posters, and other campaign slogans to win his second-term election, but his Infrastructural development, agricultural programmes, health policies, among others, will serve as a testament to his campaign.

He stressed that the governor’s campaign fund should be invested in other projects because many communities across the state have reaffirmed that the present All Progressives Congress (APC) led government of Governor Bago has provided dividends of democracy.