Bandits abduct Fulani leader, nursing mother, 37 others in Kaduna

Bandits have abducted the Wakilin Fulani of Janjala, Alhaji Atah Adamu Wakili, a nursing mother and 37 other residents of the community located in Kagarko LGA of Kaduna State.

They were said to have rustled several cows during the attack.

A community leader in the area, who confirmed the incident to our reporter through telephone on Monday, said the bandits, wielding sophisticated weapons, with some wearing army uniforms, invaded the community on Sunday, around 10pm.

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He said the bandits divided themselves into three groups, attacked several houses and whisked away many locals amid sporadic gunshots.

He said some of the bandits also invaded a Fulani settlement located some few distance from the community and rustled cows.

He said, “It was at about 10pm on Sunday, when I received a phone call that the Wakilin Fulani of Janjala alongside his wives and his eldest son, Abubakar including 37 other villagers were abducted by the bandits.”

He said the bandits who moved from house to house and operated for almost two hours without the presence of any security operatives, saying “Until around 11:23 pm when one of the villagers told me that some troops from Kagarko came into Janjala and were shooting into the air but by then, the bandits had fled with their victims including the rustled cows.”

A family member of the abducted Wakilin Fulani, identified as Ahmadu Atah, also confirmed the kidnap incident to our reporter through the telephone.

“My brother, I am seriously in panic now as bandits invaded our family house in Janjala and abducted our father, Wakilin Fulani, his wives and children alongside several others. As I speak, I am in Kaduna for a programme but I pray that security operatives will move in swiftly to rescue them,” he said.

It would be recalled that bandits had on February 11, invaded three communities, Mai -Iddo, Gidan Makeri and Kuchimi and abducted a pastor’s wife alongside 15 others, while setting some houses including harvested farm produce ablaze in the area.

The abductors of the victims, according to the community, were demanding N50 million ransom including six motorcycles before their victims will be set free.

The police in the area confirmed the latest attack but declined further comments.

The spokesman of the state police command, ASP Hassan Mansur, did not pick calls put across to him nor did he respond to the text message sent to his mobile line on the latest attack up till the time of filing the story.