No fewer than 20 persons were allegedly killed by suspected members of the Boko Haram sect at Bassa community in Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger State.
Out of the 20 deceased, 10 youths were purportedly slaughtered and their heads handed over to members of the community while the gunmen videoed them holding the heads.
The incident occurred at about 8 am on Friday.
It was learnt that Boko Haram unleashed terror on the victims, who only returned to their village to pick up some food items after they fled the community following the last attack on their village.
A source from the village claimed those killed were because they refused to be recruited as members of the dreaded sect, adding that the sect told them that anyone who refused to join them would be met with a similar fate.
” When we fled our community, the sect told us never to return, but we only came back to pick up our food and other necessities when they attacked us,” the source said.
Reacting to the development, the senator representing Niger East senatorial district, Alhaji Mohammed Sani Musa, described the killing of his people as barbaric, heartless and inhuman.
According to him: “My heart bleeds for them. This is my darkest moment as the representative of the people of the Niger East senatorial district. I am very helpless at the moment. My people, including men, women and children, are being killed like animals.
“The question is, what do they want from the people? These are harmless and innocent peasant farmers. Do they want to chase my people away from their lands?”
He explained that just three weeks ago, a group of bandits stormed Kuchi village, where they killed seven security agents and kidnapped about 150 people.
” Up until this moment, the entire Kuchi community has remained deserted,” the federal lawmaker stated.
The state government has yet to react to the incident.
Recall that nine persons in Allawa community in Shiroro Local Government Area were beheaded two months ago after they failed to heed the warning from members of the sect never to return to their ancestral land.