Men suspected to be terrorists have reportedly abducted 22 girls in Kurebe community in Rafi local government area of Niger state.

The insurgents reportedly attacked the village on Thursday and selected girls between 14 and 17 years purportedly to marry them.

It was also alleged that a letter was sent to the community before the abduction, stating that they would be coming for the girls.

A community leader who sought anonymity said they had earlier informed them that the girls should be withdrawn from school because they would come to marry them, adding they were surprised that the gunmen came on Thursday to pick the girls without any security check.

He said the group leader, identified as Malam Sadiku, led several operations in the area, preaching weird Islamic ideology unhindered for several months.

“They operate freely but when they identify a stranger in the community, they usually feel threatened. They either plan for the abduction of the stranger or chase the person away. We reported several times to the authorities”, he said.

Niger State Governor Abubakar Sani Bello had raised the alarm several times that an Islamic group akin to Boko Haram had hoisted their flag in Kaure, a village close to Kurebe.

The chairman of Shiroro local government area, Suleiman Dauda Chukuba, had also raised the alarm over the activities of the group, calling for urgent action.

Also on Wednesday night, suspected bandits launched their first attack on a suburb of Minna, the state capital and abducted a patent medicine dealer, Sunday Anthony

It was learnt that the armed men specifically came for the dealer and picked him up in his home at Maikunkele, Bosso local government area of Niger State.