Fulani Herdsmen rain attacks on a village in Niger.

The Punch reports says that the attack was carried out at about 3 a.m and that several locals were also wounded, while others are still missing.

The heavily armed gunmen, numbering over 30, reportedly invaded the community at about 3a.m when the villagers were deep asleep.

The herdsmen also stole several cows.Senator David Umaru, representing Niger East has criticised the attack, defining it as “barbaric and heinous,” though appealing to the security agencies to bring the wrong doers to book.

Umaru said that he got a call from some members of the community informing him of the raid of the gunmen and he quickly warned the police command in the state.

Hon.Hassan Jagaba, chairman of Shiroro LGA, confirmed the incident and described the attack as “inhuman and devastating.”

“On the receipt of information of the invasion, I had to alert the Police at Zumba division, who mobilised their men to the affected community but the attackers had fled with the cattle they rustled before the Police got there,”he said.

On his own part, DSP Bala Elkana, also confirmed the report, adding that the rustlers escaped to the neighbouring Kaduna state.Elkana further added that the anti-cattle rustling team was combing the forest through which the fleeing herdsmen were considered to have escaped.

According to him, no arrest had been made so far Gbada and surroundings located on the borderwith neighbouring Kaduna state have come under attacks in recent times by rustlers.

In a related development, the troops of the Joint Task Force foiled a planned attack by the Niger Delta militants on the oil pipeline in Delta state.