Residents of the community usually take a canoe to an island in the area to hide from the attack of bandits who have made the local government a haven for carrying out their activities.
The that the incident occurred on Thursday after the residents who had fled to the island on Wednesday to hide were returning home on Thursday when the boat capsized.
The bandits were said to have killed three persons during the Wednesday night attack, rustled cattle, and abducted scores in Bassa near Gurmana.
When The contacted the spokesman of the Niger State Police Command, Wasiu Abiodun, on Thursday, he requested our correspondent to send him an SMS.