Gunmen reportedly raped a pregnant mother of three to death in Dnakundna village in Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger State.
The incident occurred when the woman ran into the bandits as she fled from an attack on her village.
Sources from the community told The Nation that the terrorists had imposed a N2 million levy on the villagers to allow them to harvest from their farms.
But it was gathered that the villagers could not pay the sum, which angered the bandits.
To avoid being attacked, the villagers, especially women and children in their numbers, decided to leave the village but unknown to them, the bandits had already been informed of their mass exodus and decided to lay ambush.
The pregnant woman was not lucky as she and her three children ran into the ambush, and were matched into the bush.
According to reports, she was raped by no fewer than seven men, and was left with bruises all over her body.
It was also gathered that many villagers were abducted during the attack.
Speaking with TheCable on Monday, Salis Sabo, spokesperson of the Coalition of Shiroro Youth Association (COSA), a group, said the attack occurred on 21 December.
Sabo said the gunmen stormed the village after residents, who had earlier fled the community, returned to harvest their farm produce.
He said the pregnant woman could not run from the attackers because of her condition, adding that she was raped in the process.
“It was Dnakudna village under Galkogo ward that was attacked. The incident happened on Wednesday. The residents had earlier fled the village but returned because of the harvest,” he said.
“Unfortunately, they attacked them when they heard they returned to the village. The other villagers were able to run when they heard the bandits were coming, but the pregnant woman could not run.”
Sabo confirmed that the pregnant woman was raped but still alive.
He said the woman was taken to Zumba town and is currently recuperating at the IDP camp in the town.
This is contrary to reports by some media outlets that the woman died in the hospital on Friday night, 23 December, 2022.
“She was raped but she didn’t die. She is still alive. She was taken to a hospital in Zumba town and is currently at the IDP camp in Zumba.”
Also confirming the attack, Muhammad Tukur, coordinator of Erena axis, Shiroro Youth Development Forum, said the gunmen have moved to Pandogori area of the state.
“The report is true, though there are many attacks from those areas — in Chukuba and the villages around — and we learned that the bandits are currently in Pandogari now,” he said.
