The death toll arising from suspected gunmen attack on Bagna and surrounding villages in the Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger State on Tuesday has risen to 33.

This is amid community continues search for missing villagers.

The Peoples Gazette earlier reported how gunmen attacked Bagna village on Tuesday, killing four people and abducting some residents.

One of the villagers, Ibrahim Chocky Erena, told The Gazette that the casualty figure increased by Wednesda.

Mr Erena said, “By this morning, with the efforts of soldiers stationed in Erena, alongside vigilantes and members of the Professional Hunters Association of Nigeria, we were able to recover more bodies

“So far, we have recovered 33 bodies, including security operatives who were attacked in Bagna. That is what brought the death toll to this number.”

He noted that the search was ongoing.

Another villager, Isah Musa, also confirmed the development, saying more bodies had been recovered.

“More bodies were brought in earlier today, and preparations are ongoing for Islamic burial rites,” he said, adding that search efforts were continuing in nearby bushes.

Mr Erena added that the attack occurred on a market day, which might have contributed to the high number of casualties.

“Bandits overwhelmed security forces in the village,” he said, adding that the bodies of 25 security operatives and six civilian casualties were recovered on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, the chairman of Coalition of Shiroro Youth, Usman Kuta, told The Gazette on Wednesday that the death toll had risen to 33.

He stated, “We are still compiling the death figure but we have confirmed 33 persons as of Wednesday afternoon. We will update the general public once we get the total figure.”

Efforts to reach the state police spokesperson, Wasiu Abiodun, were unsuccessful as he neither picked calls made to his mobile nor responded to WhatsApp messages despite indicating ‘read.’