Suspected bandits have killed a man identified as Sikiru and abducted his wife, two children, and eight others during a midnight attack on Babban Saura community in the Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State.
The attack, which occurred around 1 a.m. on Thursday, reportedly threw residents into panic as the assailants invaded three houses and abducted several residents.
A community source said the attackers first invaded the home of an elderly man and abducted two of his children before moving to Sikiru’s residence.
The source said the bandits broke through the fence of Sikiru’s compound and entered the house before proceeding to the parlour.
According to the source, Sikiru attempted to resist the attackers and engaged some of them in a struggle before he was overpowered and killed.
The assailants subsequently abducted his wife and two children.
The bandits also invaded a neighbouring house and abducted a woman and her four children.
The woman was later rescued by soldiers and local vigilantes, while her four children remained in captivity.
The commander of the local vigilantes, Usman Adamu, confirmed the attack, saying nine people were initially abducted.
Adamu said the vigilantes received a distress call about the attack and immediately alerted soldiers, who joined them in pursuing the assailants.
He said, “We received a distress call that bandits had entered Babban Saura PW, and so we informed soldiers who joined us.
“We traced them to the Eastern Bypass area and succeeded in rescuing a woman, Maman Mubarak, whose four children were among those kidnapped.”
He said the security personnel made efforts to rescue the other victims, but the bandits managed to escape with them.
Adamu added that the operation remained focused on rescuing those still in captivity.
“We made efforts to rescue the other victims, but the bandits succeeded in escaping with them. We are still concerned about the safety of those abducted,” he said.
Another neighbour of the deceased, who identified himself simply as Anas, said Sikiru contacted him after the attackers invaded the community.
“He called me after they entered the community. We were all worried because we could hear that the attackers were moving from one house to another,” Anas said.
Sympathisers gathered at Sikiru’s residence on Thursday as residents expressed concern over the deteriorating security situation in the community.
The latest attack came barely days after suspected bandits invaded the Kadaure community, also in the area, where they reportedly killed a man and rustled his cattle.
The incidents have heightened concerns among residents over the safety of communities in the area.
Efforts to obtain the reaction of the Kaduna State Police Command were unsuccessful.
The command’s Public Relations Officer, DSP Mansur Hassan, could not be reached on his telephone, while he had yet to respond to a text message sent to him as of the time of filing this report.
