Unknown gunmen kill 3 children in Niger state Fulani community

 

- Three children between the ages of 3 and 5 were reportedly killed after unknown gunmen attacked a Fulani community in Yakpa, Niger state - The grandmother of one of the deceased stated that the corpses of the children were still missing, as she disclosed that the attack was allegedly perpetrated by a neighbouring community - The state’s Child Rights Protection Agency has vowed to uncover the perpetrators of the gruesome crime and urged residents of the community to refrain from taking matters into their own hands The Child Rights Protection Agency in Niger state on Thursday, September 21, vowed to uncover the killers of three children who were murdered during an attack on a Fulani community in Yakpa village, Shiroro local government area of the state, NAN reports. 

- Muslim group It was gathered that the director-general of the agency, Mairam Kolo, who visited families of the deceased at Gwada Hospital where one survivor was receiving treatment, described the killings as “wicked and heartless”. Unidentified gunmen reportedly attacked the community on September 15, and killed three children aged between three and five. Kolo said that the agency would work with relevant security agencies and volunteers to ensure that the perpetrators were arrested and prosecuted. She ordered the immediate transfer of the survivor to Minna General Hospital for proper medical care, pledging that the agency would settle the medical bill. The director-general advised residents to report their problems to the appropriate authority rather than take laws into their hands. Also, the director-general of the state Agency for Nomadic Affairs, Alhaji Abdullahi Babayo, appealed to the families of the victims not to retaliate, assuring them that efforts were ongoing to apprehend the killers. Earlier, the grandmother of one of the deceased, Hajiya Maryam Umar, stated that the attack was allegedly perpetrated by a neighbouring community, adding that the corpses of the three children were still missing. Spokesman for the state police command, DSP Babalola Olanrewaju, confirmed the incident and said that the police had since commenced full investigation into the matter.