Crisis Deepens as Hundreds Flee Niger State to Benin Republic Amid Intensifying Bandit Attacks

Following further bandit attacks on their towns, hundreds of citizens from Niger State’s Borgu Local Government Area fled to nearby Benin Republic, according to House of Representatives member Engineer Abdurrahman Bala Gambo.

According to Gambo, who represents Borgu and the neighbouring areas, the attackers broke into Konkoso town and drove out the locals, he told BBC Hausa.

“They entered Konkoso and chased people away, but they did not kill anyone because the residents had already fled the town,” he said.

According to the lawmaker, many of the displaced residents crossed into Benin Republic because they have relatives there.

“Most of the people ran to Benin Republic since many of them have family ties there. The bandits returned to the town, and when they saw that nobody was left, they set it on fire,” he added.

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According to reports, the most recent attacks in Niger state torched down multiple homes in communities in the Borgu and Agwara local government areas .

Many residents have been forced to flee across the border for safety because of the violence, which has left them without a place to live or a source of income.

A resident who spoke on condition of anonymity, told the BBC that when the attackers first arrived, villagers fled in fear, abandoning their belongings, including food supplies and clothing.

“When they came back and found no one in the town, they burned everything. Those who escaped to Benin Republic are now relatively safe because the government there is fighting the bandits,” the witness said.