Bandits Storm Kaduna Communities, Abduct 22

Bandits have stormed the Kugauta community of Kusheka, Kumana Chiefdom, and Kitanda community of Geshere in the same Chiefdom of Kauru local government area of Kaduna State and abducted 22 locals.

A student pastor and a resident, Emmanuel Johnson, who confirmed the incident in a telephone interview with journalists in Kaduna, said the bandits invaded the two communities in separate attacks on Friday night at about 10:30pm, kidnapping mostly women and children.

He confirmed that 12 villagers were kidnapped in the Kitanda community of Geshere, while 10 others were also kidnapped from Kugauta community of Kusheka.

Johnson lamented that despite the rampant kidnappings by bandits and other criminal elements in their communities, only three policemen were manning their community and neighbouring villages.

He said their communities and surrounding villages have been consistently attacked, and villagers were being kidnapped almost on a daily basis.

“The police officers manning our communities cannot secure our villages; the government must show us that we’re Nigerians and we have equal rights to be protected by the Nigerian government authorities.

“Most locals were forced to leave their villages as a result of the escalating kidnapping and killings of our loved ones.

“Over N60 million have been paid as ransom while many are still in the kidnappers’ custody,” Johnson disclosed.

“We are facing infrastructural deficit, in terms of road network, hospitals and schools. We hardly can take our farm produce to the market because of the nature of the roads here,” he added.

According to him, the situation in the respective communities was worrisome, and the government must show some level of seriousness in handling the persistent insecurity problems in the areas.

“The Army, Air Force, and other security agencies must conduct offensive operations to flush these bandits terrorising our communities out of those camps.

“These bandits have meted all kinds of hardship on our people, crippling our economy and plunging us into abject poverty,” he added.

He called on the government to establish police stations and Army Forward Operating Bases in strategic areas, stressing that it will help in addressing the escalating insecurity bedevilling areas daily.

When contacted, the Kaduna State Police Command’s Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Mansir Hassan, could not be reached for reaction as at the time of filing this report.