Not less than 300 heavily armed terrorists, fleeing from the joint military operations in parts of Niger and Kaduna States on Wednesday, flooded the Tsohon Kabula village in the Munya Local Government Area of Niger State.
The gunmen were said to be riding three on each motorcycle at the time they arrived in the community.
THISDAY was told by a villager, who preferred to remain anonymous that the arrival of the terrorists had made the villagers scamper to safety and vacate the village because of fears that the gunmen could unleash havoc on them.
So far it was said the gunmen had only just taken over the abandoned residences and food banks of the villagers without attacking them while some of the bandits were reportedly stationed at strategic locations as security in the event of arrival of men of the local vigilante and the armed forces.
It was learnt that the villagers, who only recently returned to Tsohon Kabula after several months of staying in Internally Displaced People’s Camps because of the restoration of peace have returned to Sabon Kabula and Sarkinpawa towns, where they are staying with their relations.
THISDAY was also informed that another batch of the terrorists escaping from the operations were also on Wednesday morning neutralised while trying to cross the river Kusasu to the other side.
The gunmen were said to have seized a wooden boat and forced its owner to pilot them across the river to the other side.
However, it was learnt that the boat was sighted from the skies leading to its being bombed by the government force.
Miraculously THISDAY learnt that all those in the boat apart from its owner, who was forced to convey them escaped death.
The air component of the military operations and some local vigilantes were said to be on their way to Tsohon Kabula to dislodge the bandits hibernating there.
The owner of the boat, it was further learnt, has already returned to Zumba, where he was congratulated by friends and relations.
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