Gunmen suspected to be bandits onThursday night abducted the village head of Ungwan Babangida in Kauru local government area of Kaduna State along with 14 others.
The bandits stormed the community with sophisticated weapons, shooting sporadically before abducting the victims.
Those kidnapped were three women, nine men and two labourers who had travelled to the area for farming activities from Jigawa State and Ikara local government area of Kaduna.
A youth leader from Dokan Karji, Aminu Khalid, confirmed the incident, saying the attack happened at midnight.
The incident followed a similar one barely 48 hours earlier, when four farmers were kidnapped in the Libere community, also in Kauru local government area.
The youth leader appealed for urgent military assistance to tackle the rising banditry in Kauru, saying many men in the area had been killed while the bandits continued to occupy several villages.
“Kauru communities need serious military action against these bandits. The federal government and security operatives must intensify efforts to cripple the activities of these criminals who have made life unbearable for villagers,” he said.
He commended local vigilantes for their proactive efforts, noting that they had foiled numerous kidnapping attempts in nearby villages.
Efforts to contact Kaduna police spokesman ASP Mansir Hassan for reaction were futile at the time of filing this report.
