50 Persons Abducted By Bandits In Kaduna Community

Approximately 50 people from the Damari hamlet in Kaduna State’s Birnin-Gwari Local Government Area have reportedly been kidnapped by terrorists.

The incident that took place on Saturday night has led to hundreds of residents fleeing the community.

Ishaq Kasai, the chairman of the Birnin-Gwari Emirate Progressives’ Union, announced this in a statement on Sunday evening.

He said, “The sad event in the last 72 hours in Damari town of Kazage Ward in the Eastern part of Birnin-Gwari Local Government Area Kaduna State has reached a catastrophic situation.

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

“The most worrisome situation is where a pregnant woman was running away alongside her colleagues and was left away by the fleeing groups where she fell down and delivered a baby boy. Unfortunately, both the mother and the baby lost their lives instantly.

“Damari is considered as the largest town in the entire Eastern part of Birnin-Gwari and with this worrisome development, about 20,000 persons, including women and children, are rendered internally displaced,” he added.

“Even today, the bandits returned to the town unchallenged, burnt a vehicle, kidnapped scores, intercepted and maltreated people, a serious development that reflects the level of serious insecurity situation facing our community.

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

“BEPU is highly concerned over the ugly situation of the citizens of Birnin-Gwari LGA, particularly those in the local communities where despite all efforts to draw the attention of higher authorities for action as entails in their constitutional responsibilities has failed.

“BEPU is deeply sympathizing with all the people of Damari over these trials and assures them of continued efforts towards supporting them in all possible ways, especially in humanitarian emergency needs, and would never relent on advancing engagement with Government, whose major and primary responsibility as enshrined in the Constitution is the protection of lives and properties of the citizenry, to do the needful.”