Bandits burn police station, church in Niger community

The Niger State Police Command has confirmed an early-morning attack on Agwara community, during which suspected armed bandits torched a police station and part of a church.

In a statement issued on Sunday in Minna, the Police Public Relations Officer, Wasiu Abiodun, said the incident occurred at about 3:40 a.m. when the attackers stormed the Agwara Police Station.

According to him, officers and a tactical team on duty engaged the assailants, but the bandits eventually overran the station and allegedly used explosives to set the facility ablaze.

Abiodun disclosed that the attackers later moved to the United Methodist Church (UMC) in the area, where they set a section of the church building on fire.

He added that the bandits went on to raid other parts of the community, abducting about five residents whose identities were yet to be determined.

The police spokesperson said the situation was under close monitoring, assuring that security agencies had launched investigations and intensified efforts to apprehend the perpetrators and rescue the abducted victims.