Bandits attack Kaduna community, abduct over 50 residents

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Suspected bandits, on Saturday, attacked Damari community in the Birnin-Gwari Local Government Area of Kaduna State, abducting over 50 residents.

The ugly incident was confirmed to newsmen by the Chairman of the Birnin-Gwari Emirate Progressives’ Union, Ishaq Kasai, in a statement on Monday.

According to Kasai, relevant authorities and general public had been on the alert for possible attacks on the community, following the withdrawal of Ansaru, a splinter group of Boko Haram, from the area.

The statement read in part: “The sad event that occurred in the last 72 hours in Damari, Kazage Ward in the eastern part of Birnin-Gwari Local Government Area Kaduna State has assumed a catastrophic dimension.

“As at Saturday, bandits encircled Damari and abducted about 50 people, shortly before and after troops from a military field-base in Dogon-Dawa went to the town and escorted residents that were willing to move to comfort zones in neighbouring communities and even as far as Zaria.

“A pregnant woman fleeing the town alongside other residents fell down and went into labour immediately. Although the woman was delivered of a baby boy, she and her baby lost their lives eventually.

“Damari is considered as the largest town in the entire eastern part of Birnin-Gwari. With the development, about 20,000 persons, including women and children, were internally displaced.

“Even today, the bandits returned to the town unchallenged, burnt a vehicle, kidnapped scores of people, intercepted and maltreated many others. The development is a reflection of the security challenge facing our community.

“These calamitous atrocities of bandits have made the people of Damari, an agrarian community that yearly produces over 600 tonnes of maize, to abandon their ancestral homes and farms for safety.

“BEPU is highly concerned over the plight of the citizens of Birnin-Gwari LGA, particularly those in the local communities where all efforts to reach out to the higher authorities for action had failed.

“BEPU sympathises with the residents of Damari and assures them of its continued support in all possible ways.”

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