A woman from Raba Village in Magama Local Government Area of Niger State, Martha Magama, has shared the heartbreaking story of how her once peaceful life was destroyed by repeated attacks froam armed bandits.
She spoke in detail about how the violence not only led to the loss of her loved ones but also forced her family to flee their home and live in fear, without any hope of returning.
The victim described the entire experience as the worst thing that has ever happened to her.
Narrating her ordeal in an interview with DAILY POST, Magama explained that everything started around 2015. At first, there were just rumours about insecurity in nearby communities.
But soon, those rumours became real. Bandits and terrorists began attacking villages close to theirs, and eventually, they reached her community, Raba and the neighbouring town of Nasko.
“Raba and Nasko used to be peaceful and quiet places,” she said. “But all of that changed when these heavily armed men started coming into our villages.
They attacked repeatedly. We lived in fear every day. We never knew who would be taken next or when it would be our turn to die.”
Even though she managed to escape with her life, the trauma still haunts her. She said she and her family still live in constant fear, and they don’t feel safe returning to their village.
“We are scared that if we go back, we might be kidnapped or killed. These groups operate freely, and no one seems to be stopping them.”
She recalled one of the early attacks when the bandits, dressed in camouflage uniforms like soldiers and armed with guns, surrounded her home.
There was no way to run or hide. Her father-in-law was captured during that attack, despite all their cries and pleas.
“They came from both sides of the bush. We were trapped. They took my father-in-law and left us shaken and broken.”
Another terrifying night she remembers clearly was May 4, 2019. Around 11:05 p.m, gunmen stormed her house again. They shot at everything, killed her cousin, and kidnapped three women, including some young girls.
Although local vigilante members tried their best to defend the community that night. They engaged the attackers in a shootout and managed to drive them away, but the damage had already been done.
She and her family remain traumatized, their homes destroyed, and their sense of safety completely lost.
A more painful incident happened on March 15, 2022. During another invasion, bandits killed the Divisional Police Officer of Magama, Umar Dakin, and six members of the local vigilante group in broad daylight as they tried to stop the attackers.
“These constant attacks destroyed my family. Some of us ran away to different places. Others are still in hiding. We have no help from the government or any security agency. We feel abandoned,” she said with deep pain in her voice.
She also expressed her concern that some members of the country’s security forces may be helping the bandits.
She claimed that some of them have criminals who have informants, which makes it easier for them to continue spreading violence to more areas.
“Even though the government says they are fighting the terrorists, we see no real improvement. Many people believe that some of these bandits are being supported by corrupt officers in the army, police, navy, and air force. Instead of protecting us, these people are secretly helping the attackers. They provide them with information and resources. It is betrayal of the worst kind.”
According to her, this betrayal is one of the main reasons why families like hers can no longer trust anyone to protect them. The fear has pushed her to seek help beyond Nigeria.
As of the time of filing this report, many rural communities in Niger State are still not safe.
DAILY POST reports that people continue to flee from their villages to escape the constant attacks by bandits and terrorists.
The story of Magama from Raba is just one example. Across the country, many Nigerians are going through the same pain, forced to abandon their homes-living in constant fear.
