Several residents have reportedly been abducted following coordinated attacks on villages in Kaduna State.
Gatekeepers News reports that according to counterinsurgency publication Zagazola Makama, gunmen targeted Agwallan Centre, Janwuriya, and Afogo villages in Kajuru LGA on Thursday evening, taking an unspecified number of people who were returning from their farms. The attackers were said to be armed with sophisticated weapons.
Hours later, another group of gunmen reportedly stormed Kallah and Aokpeshura villages in the same local government area, firing sporadically and abducting more residents, including women and children. In Kallah, those kidnapped included Simon Audi, 29; Beuty Audu, 23; and a six-month-old baby, Holliness Simon.
Community sources told Zagazola that Enoch Simon, 40, was later rescued, while Anthony Saidu, 32, and Jenecy Obasanjo, 20, were hospitalized in Kujama for treatment of injuries sustained during the raid.
A repentant bandit, identified as Babban Gayya, was reportedly behind the attacks, allegedly seeking revenge for the deaths of some of his associates at the hands of military forces.
On the same day, gunmen also struck Kuyan Bana village in Kauru LGA, moving from house to house and abducting an unconfirmed number of residents. The attackers reportedly opened fire sporadically, spreading panic before carrying out the kidnappings.
Troops were later deployed to both areas, sealing off surrounding forests and initiating search-and-rescue operations.
