Vigilante, Wife, 12 Others Abducted In Kaduna

A resident identified as Shamsudeen Adamu sustained a gunshot wound, while a vigilante member, Saleh Adamu, his wife Fatima, and 12 other residents were abducted when bandits invaded the Janjala community in Kagarko LGA of Kaduna State.

The attack occurred on Saturday at about 11:23 pm.

A resident, Ayatullah Ibrahim, told our reporter during a visit to the community on Sunday that over 20 bandits armed with AK-47 rifles emerged from a nearby bush and opened fire on vigilantes stationed at the rear of the village.

While the vigilantes engaged the attackers in a gun duel, they were eventually overpowered by the bandits’ superior numbers, forcing them to retreat for cover.

Despite receiving a warning via walkie-talkie shortly before the attack, the community was unable to repel the invaders, who proceeded to whisk away residents from their homes.

“During the sporadic shooting, one of our members identified as Ibrahim was hit by a stray bullet, but miraculously, the bullet did not penetrate,” Ibrahim stated.

Another resident, Aliyu Mahmud, reported that the bandits rained bullets on the community for nearly an hour without any intervention from security operatives.

He said the attackers also looted a shop, carting away snacks, provisions, and recharge cards valued at over N176,000.

The community identified the abducted persons as Saleh Adamu and Fatima Adamu, Gambo Bakoshi and Abdulmalik Gambo

Others are Danlami Usman, Husaaiba Usman, and her two-year-old son, Usman Saudatu Usman, Murjanatu Habiba, and Abida Habibu.

Also abducted are Yahanasu Yakubu, Sadiya Abubakar, Rabiatu Ummi, and Maryam Ibrahim.

Mrs. Halima Bello, whose husband was among those taken, recounted the terrifying moment. “The bandits used force to open my husband’s door. I opened mine quietly to see what was happening. They initially wanted to take me too, but they spared me when my four-year-old daughter, Khadijat, started crying and screaming at them.”

Abubakar Ibrahim, a father of three abducted daughters, expressed total devastation. This is the second time his family has been targeted; two years ago, the bandits abducted three of his children.

“I am still paying off the debt from the last ransom,” Ibrahim lamented. “When I went to deliver the money two years ago, they held me captive alongside my children for days. I don’t even have enough to eat three square meals a day now; I don’t know where to start looking for another ransom.”

A community under siege

A civil servant who spoke on the condition of anonymity noted that this was the third major attack in two years.

According to him, the persistent insecurity has forced many to flee Janjala for the relatively safer towns of Kagarko and Sabon-Wuse.

“Janjala is the only community in this axis still occupied,” he claimed. “Neighboring villages like Kohoto, Iddo, Kurmin Kare, and Hayin-Dam have all been deserted.”

Shamsudeen Adamu, speaking from his bed at Kagarko General Hospital, described how a bullet hit his abdomen as he tried to flee his room.

He managed to crawl into an uncompleted building and remained there in a pool of blood until the bandits fled and he was rushed to the hospital by motorcycle.

The Waziri of Janjala, Alhaji Saleh Musa, expressed grave concern, stating that his subjects are effectively under siege.

He criticized the lack of swift response from security agencies.

“As I speak to you, no security operatives from Kagarko have shown up to show concern over Saturday night’s tragedy.”

A security source confirmed the abduction via telephone on Monday, stating that troops and vigilantes are currently combing the forests in an effort to rescue the victims.

The spokesperson for the Kaduna State Police Command, DSP Hassan Mansur, had yet to officially confirm the incident at the time of filing this report. (Daily trust)