A suspected jihadist attack on three lorries and a motorcycle in western Niger near the border with Mali killed 11 people, local sources told AFP on Sunday.
The attack took place on a remote road in the so-called “three borders” region between Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso plagued by jihadist insurgents linked with Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group.
A local government official in the Banibangou area where the attack occurred said armed men intercepted three trucks on a remote road on Saturday morning and killed their nine occupants.
Two people riding a motorcycle also died, he added.
Attacks by militants had been less frequent in recent months in Banibangou, located in the vast and unstable Tillaberi region in western Niger.
Civilians have often been caught in the fighting between the rebels and security forces. In November 2021, authorities said at least 69 local self-defence militiamen were massacred.
In the same vien , Suspected gunmen in their numbers at the weekend invaded Magamar – Jibiya community in Jibiya Local Government Area of Katsina State, kidnapped three persons and dismembered the remains of two victims.
Daily Champion gathered that in the mayhem, some persons were macheted by the suspected bandits, who stormed the community around 9.15pm on Saturday.
Two vehicles were reportedly stopped by the terror suspects who killed two passengers before abducting three others.
A source said the mayhem was brought to a halt by the prompt arrival of a team of the joint military and police operatives in the violence – prone area.
According to the source, the invasion of different communities and attacks on vehicles plying the Katsina- Jibiya highway in the environs occur sporadically at any time of the day.
A resident of Magamar jibiya, who spoke to our correspondent on the condition of anonymity, commended the police and military operatives for responding soon after they got wind of the latest attack o restore peace and order in the area.
Spokesman of the state police command, Isah Gambo, a Superintendent of Police, could not be reached for confirmation of the report as several calls to telephone lines received no response.
However, Ogun Sector Command of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) said three persons have died and two others injured in a road accident on Sunday, along Lagos-Abeokuta expressway.
The Sector Commander, Mr Ahmed Umar, told newsmen in Abeokuta that the accident involved a Volvo mini truck and a Nissan car, after Obada police station along the expressway.
Umar said that the accident occured at about 7:15am and was likely caused by route violation on the part of the driver of the truck marked AKM 489 ZY.
“The suspected cause of the crash was route violation on the part of the truck driver which resulted in head on collision with the car which has no registration number,” he said.
The sector commander explained that while five male adults were involved in the accident, three of them died on the spot while the remaining two sustained injuries .
He added that the injured victims were taken to General Hospital Abeokuta for medical attention and the corpses deposited at the hospital’s morgue.
Umar commiserated with the family of the victims and advised motorists to avoid route violations completely.
“Safety is everybody’s business especially in this season of high vehicular movement, one should drive cautiously and obey traffic rules and regulations,” he said
