Bandits assassinate 13 people in Kaduna, Taraba, and kidnap 46 others

Residents of Kaduna had a sad day after a series of bandit attacks in the early hours of Sunday claimed the lives of seven people in various parts of the state. During the operations, the criminals also kidnapped 46 people.

One person was killed and 18 members of a family were abducted in the Angwar Zalla Udawa community in Chikun Local Government Area.

The bandits stormed the village along the Kaduna-Birnin Gwari highway around 12:30 a.m. on Sunday.

Muhammed Umaru, a community leader in Udawa, confirmed to Daily Trust that the deceased’s name was Bala Jaja.

Married women, adults, and young ladies, he said, were among those kidnapped.

“I knew these people because we all lived in the same neighbourhood.” Bala Jaja, a well-known young man in the community, was killed when he went out to assist his neighbours, who had 18 members taken away,” he said.

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A similar attack occurred in Kerawa village, Giwa Local Government Area, where 16 people were kidnapped and five others were killed.

Daiyabu Kerawa, a former councillor in the area who confirmed the attack to Daily Trust, said the town was deserted after the attack.

According to him, the victims were buried in fear around 1 p.m. on Sunday.

“Five people were killed and 16 others were kidnapped by the bandits. We just finished the burial right now. The worst part is that despite being notified, no security agencies came to our aid during the attack,” he said.

Women, adults, and children had all fled the village for fear of being attacked by the bandits, according to another local named Jamilu.

“By all appearances, the bandits have succeeded in displacing our village, as our people are fleeing in large numbers.” “We don’t have any police or soldiers to protect the village,” he explained.

A married woman was killed and 12 people were abducted in the third attack, which took place in Sabon Gida, a community along the Kaduna-Zaria highway under Unguwar Tsalha Maraban Jos, Igabi LGA.

When the woman saw the bandits, she tried to flee, according to a resident who requested anonymity. They did, however, assassinate her.

“After killing the woman, the bandits abducted about twelve people,” he said.

In a statement issued yesterday, Kaduna State Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Samuel Aruwan, confirmed the incidents in Kerawa and Ungwan Rimi-Afana road in Igabi and Zangon Kataf areas.

In a similar incident, bandits in Jauro Manu village, Gassol Local Government Area, Taraba State, killed a farmer, Irimiya Musa, and five other people.

According to the Daily Trust, five gunmen stormed the house of the large-scale farmer around 4.30 p.m. on Saturday.

The gunmen, who were all riding motorcycles, shot him in front of his house before shooting the five other people who were playing cards nearby.

Musa and four others were said to have died on the spot, while Haruna, the sixth victim, died at the Federal Medical Centre where he was taken for treatment.

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According to a source in the village, the gunmen attacked the farmer’s house on September 10, 2021, but were repelled by the villagers, who mobilised and confronted the gunmen.

According to the source, one of the attackers was killed at the time and was later identified as a herdsman who lived with his parents in a Fulani settlement near the village.

He added that the village had not been attacked since then, and that there was confusion in the area as residents were terrified.

When contacted, Taraba State Police spokesman DSP Usman Abdullahi said the incident had yet to be reported to the command by the DPO in Mutum Biyu headquarters of Gassol Local Government Area.