The Niger State Police Command has confirmed that suspected armed bandits attacked Agwara town in Agwara Local Government Area of the state, setting ablaze a police station and parts of a church in the early hours of Sunday.
The command’s Public Relations Officer, SP Wasiu Abiodun, disclosed this in a statement issued in Minna on Sunday.
According to Abiodun, the attackers stormed the Agwara Police Station at about 3:40am and engaged the tactical police team on duty.
He said the operatives resisted the assault but were eventually overwhelmed by the bandits, who allegedly used dynamite to set the station on fire.
The attack came hours after reports that the community had come under siege late Saturday night, with armed men overrunning the area.
Videos circulating on social media showed that several public and religious facilities were torched during the raid.
Among the affected structures were the Agwara Police Divisional Headquarters and the First UMCA Church, both of which were reportedly set ablaze.
It was further gathered that the attackers also moved to the United Methodist Church in the town, where part of the building was destroyed by fire.
Abiodun added that the bandits later spread to other parts of the community, abducting about five residents, whose identities had yet to be confirmed.
He said security agencies had commenced efforts to track the attackers and rescue the abducted victims.