At least five persons including a mother and her four children have been reported kidnapped by some yet-to-be-identified gunmen in Barkallahu community in Igabi Local Government Area of Kaduna State.
The fresh attack comes barely one week after 17 family members were kidnapped who were said to be on their way to the farm at Udawa village in Chikun Local Government Area of the state.
While the police authorities are yet to confirm the incident, eyewitnesses told Channels Television that the attack occurred in the early hours of Friday when the gunmen invaded the community and started shooting sporadically while the residents were still sleeping.
A resident of the community, Abdulsalam Haruna, whose wife and four children were kidnapped, said the gunmen invaded his house and forced the door open before gaining access into his apartment and later took away his five family members.
He added that the gunmen abducted two of his neigbour’s children and attacked two other houses.
The gunmen were said to have escaped with the victims before the arrival of security operatives.
No fewer than 21 people including 17 family members have been abducted by gunmen suspected to be kidnappers in Chikun local government area of Kaduna state.
The victims were abducted between Friday and Saturday morning at the Udawa community in Chikun LGA.
When contacted for confirmation, the Kaduna State Police command through the Public Relations Officer, Muhammad Jalige said that they are not aware of the incident as none of such has been brought to their notice.
However, a community leader told channels television that the gunmen first stormed the area in large numbers on Friday and started shooting sporadically, and in the process, injured several people.
He said that while four others were kidnapped on Friday, while 17 members of the same family were abducted on Saturday morning while they were going to their farm.
The community leader also disclosed that four other people who escaped during the operation were rushed to the hospital for treatment as a result of the injuries they sustained while trying to escape from the kidnappers.
A map showing Kaduna, a state in Nigeria’s north-west region.
Two officers serving with the Kaduna state command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC) and the Nigeria Police Force have been killed by their abductors.
The deceased officers were abducted from their homes by suspected kidnappers on August 28 at Maraban Rido in Chikun local government area of Kaduna state alongside two other residents.
The abductors also killed a 14-year-old girl who was among those abducted.
They were held captive for 13 days after they were kidnapped from their houses and later killed by yet to be known persons.
Confirming the incident to Channels Television, the NSCDC Public Relations Officer of Kaduna state command, Orndiir Terzungwe, said that the bodies of the late Civil Defence officer, Bulus Sanda, a police officer, and a civilian were dumped at Tsoshon Gaya village along the Kaduna-Abuja highway by the kidnappers after they were killed.
He disclosed that the three dead bodies were later discovered by passers-by who alerted security operatives.
According to the NSCDC spokesman, the late Sanda who joined the corps in 2010, had served the corps in different locations, adding that he was dedicated to his duty in an exemplary manner.
However, he stated that in spite of the incident, the command will remain resolute and continue to perform all its statutory duties to ensure the safety and security of lives in Kaduna state.
A map showing Kaduna, a state in Nigeria’s north-west region.
Security operatives have successfully repelled armed bandits who opened fire on motorists along the Kaduna-Abuja Road in the northern part of the country.
The assailants were engaged in a gunfight with troops of the Nigerian Army and personnel of the Nigeria Police deployed on the expressway.
Mr Samuel Aruwan, the Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs in Kaduna, confirmed this in a statement on Friday.
The commissioner who visited the scene disclosed that the incident occurred in the afternoon near the Olam Feeds Company.
He explained that those who were injured were immediately referred to a specialist hospital for comprehensive medical attention.
Aruwan added that security forces – both ground and air – have gone after remnants of the armed bandits in the adjoining forest.
“The Governor of Kaduna State, Malam Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai has been briefed on the development,” he stated.
According to the commissioner, the governor praised the security personnel for their exceptional courage and bravery in repelling the armed bandits.
He wished the injured personnel and motorists speedy recovery and praised medical personnel at the Olam Clinic for stabilising the injured.
A file photo of Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai. Photo: Twitter
Governor El-Rufai gave an assurance that the state government would continue to partner with security agencies in the battle against bandits and criminals.
The incident followed air strikes conducted by the air component of Operation Thunder Strike during which several armed bandits were killed, and their camps disrupted in the Kuduru and Kwaimbana forest areas of the state.
This was achieved through separate air strikes carried out on 2 and 3 September 2020 on the heels of credible intelligence reports indicating that the 2 locations were being used as staging areas by the bandits.
The Coordinator of Defence Media Operations, Major General John Enenche, noted in a statement that the feat was recorded in separate airstrikes carried out on Wednesday and Thursday following credible intelligence reports indicating that the two locations were being used as staging areas by the bandits.
A file photo of an attendant filling the fuel tank of a car.
A coalition of northern groups on Friday rejected the recent increase in the ex-depot price of petrol and electricity tariff by the Federal Government.
They are demanding the immediate and unconditional reversal of the new pump price to the initial N145 per litre and electricity tariff to N23, with the assurance of regularity and a higher quantity of supply.
The groups also asked President Muhammadu Buhari to stop the blame game and face the responsibility of his office to offer good governance to the people who voted him to power.
They accused the President of being desperate to shift the blame for the poor economic situation in the country which they described as proof of failure to provide good leadership.
The spokesman for the Coalition of Northern Groups, Abdul-Azeez Suleiman, made the position of the group known at a news conference in Kaduna State.
He said increasing the pump price of petrol at a time when nations were doing more to subsidise costs of essentials in line with citizens’ purchasing power, was highly insensitive, callous and an indication that the Federal Government has lost the courage to assume sole responsibility for the regulation and control of market forces at the detriment of ordinary citizens.
The spokesman for the Coalition of Northern Groups, Abdul-Azeez Suleiman, addressing reporters in Kaduna State on September 4, 2020.
According to him, the present administration has been tolerated for too long by the Nigerian masses, even with its purported level of impunity in the dispatch of goods and services which have gravely endangered the peace, unity, and development of the country.
Suleiman stated that the group would not hesitate to mobilise Nigerians for a nationwide protest in the coming days, should the Federal Government fail to reverse the pump price of petrol and electricity tariff.
A statement, which was issued at the end of the briefing, read:
Unfolding events around the national economy, security, general cost of survival in Nigeria in the past few days, have once again sparked serious concerns over the direction the country is heading.
In particular, the recent announcement of the Federal Government’s decision to hike the prices of such essentials as petroleum products and electricity have ignited widespread discontent and anger across every segment of the Nigerian society.
Concerned about this mounting national anger, the Coalition of Northern Groups met in Kaduna to review the alarming rise in the cost of living in the face of pervasive poverty and fast-spreading general insecurity of lives and property.
OBSERVATIONS
In light of this development and the unfolding scenario in the country that is pregnant with unforeseen circumstances, the CNG observes as follows:
That whereas the present administration had upon inception identified economic revival and security as major components of the three pillars of its change agenda, its entire national economy and law and order assets appear incapable of arresting an imminent drift towards poverty and the likelihood of the setting in of anarchy.
That the government’s mismanagement of an economy already adjudged in a second recession is characterized by the significant loss of output, massive youth unemployment, a rising level of poverty, instability, and irregular migration of skilled and unskilled labour.
That despite the administration’s claims to fighting a war against corruption, the entrenchment of mediocrity has left the country worse than it was five years ago in the global corruption perception index.
That the present administration had been tolerated for too long even with its level of impunity in the dispatch of goods and services which gravely endanger the peace, unity, and development of the country.
That the administration’s audacious impunity climaxed with hikes in fuel pump prices from an initial N87 to N151.50k per litre; electricity tariff from N22 to N66; and Value Added Tax (VAT) to 7.5% from 5%.
That these unjustified and unjustifiably indiscriminate increases with concomitant effects on life-sustaining essentials like foodstuff and foreign exchange rates have resulted in the exponential escalation of inflation, despair, crime, and criminality.
OUR STAND
On the basis of the foregone critical observations, the CNG hereby resolves to:
Call on the federal government to announce an immediate and unconditional reversal of the prices of fuel to the earlier N145 per litre and electricity tariff to N23 with the assurance of regularity in quality and quantity of supply, assume full control of commodity pricing, jettison all aspects of unwarranted taxation, halt the current multi-sectoral extortions by multinational service providers, banks and other financial institutions.
Direct all our state chapters to mobilise other civil society and pressure groups in their states and address individual petitions demanding an immediate and unconditional review to their respective state governments or houses of assembly for transmission to the presidency.
CNG national secretariat is to engage the National Assembly, the Federal Government, and all relevant national and international agencies to force a reversal of these imposed harsh realities.
Put the public on the alert for a possible prolonged nationwide resistance in the likely event of government opting to grandstand.
The Nigerian Air Force special Operation Thunder Strike, has neutralised several armed bandits at the Kuduru and Kwaimbana forest areas of Kaduna State.
According to a statement by the coordinator, Defence Media Operations, Major General John Enenche, this was achieved through separate air strikes carried out on the 2nd and 3rd of September 2020 on the basis of credible intelligence reports.
Major General Enenche went on to say that the attack on the Kuduru forest hideout was executed after aerial reconnaissance missions observed significant number of armed bandits around some compounds in a small settlement within the forest.
Consequently, the air component dispatched Nigerian Air Force (NAF) jets and helicopter gunships to attack the location.
“The attack aircraft took turns in strafing the target area leading to the neutralization of several of the bandits as well as damage to their dwellings.
“At the Kwaimbana Forest, where some bandits were seen along with many rustled cattle around some huts and makeshift structures, the NAF jets and helicopter gunships engaged the area in successive passes, taking out some of the bandits,” the statement read in part.
Troops of Operation Accord have killed four suspected bandits at Jeka Da Rabi area along Kaduna-Abuja expressway in Kaduna State and have recovered weapons from them.
This was confirmed in a statement issued on Thursday by the Coordinator, Defence Media Operations, Major General John Enenche.
The operation, which was carried out on September 2, is in continuation of the “sustained offensive against armed bandits and other criminal elements in the country.”
“Acting on credible intelligence on the movement of bandits from Kachia area, troops swiftly mobilized to the scene and laid ambush.
“The gallant troops made contact with the bandits and engaged them with superior firepower thereby neutralizing 4 while others escaped with gun shots wounds,” the statement partly read.
The defence spokesman said troops also recovered one AK 47 rifle and 5 rounds of 9mm with a magazine and have dominated “the general area with aggressive patrols in search of the fleeing bandits.”
Reacting to the incident, the Military High Command asked the troops to intensify the onslaught against the criminal elements in the country.
Recently, Kaduna has been experiencing series of bandits attacks that have led to the loss of several lives of people and properties.
Following the ugly development, Nigerian Air Force (NAF) on August 16 deployed additional special forces to southern Kaduna,
The deployment has been yielding positive results as some bandits have been arrested with several others killed during the military operations.
Just two weeks ago, airstrikes carried out by the Air Component of Operation Thunder Strike, neutralised several armed bandits at their camp in the Kuduru Forest area of the state.
According to the military authorities, the destroyed bandit camp, was occupied by members of an Ansaru Terrorist Sect-linked group led by one Mallam Abba.
Similarly, on August 10, security operatives arrested some bandits and criminals suspected to be members of gangs disturbing the area.
The Sector Commander of Operation Safe Haven in Kafanchan, Colonel David Nwakonobi told journalists that eight suspects were arrested at different locations with dangerous weapons in their possession during the operation carried out by the task force.
Residents affected by flood in Kaduna State exiting their residence on September 1, 2020.
Several houses and farmlands have been ravaged by flood in parts of Kaduna State.
The flooding occurred after a downpour on Monday night and lasted till Tuesday morning.
As a result, many residents have been forced out of their homes.
The incident comes weeks after the Kaduna State Emergency Management Agency (KADSEMA) issued an alert that some Local Government Areas in the state were likely to experience flooding.
The agency also warned residents of the affected areas to vacate to safer places; a warning which some failed to adhere to.
The affected areas include Abubakar Kigo road, Barnawa,Kudenda, Ungwar Dosa, among others.
According to the emergency officials, those areas were prone to flooding as a result of drainages being blocked with refuse, and people building structures along water channels.
A map showing Kaduna, a state in Nigeria’s north-west region.
The Southern Kaduna Peoples Union (SOKAPU) has commended the Federal Government for the deployment of troops to communities that were attacked by gunmen in the area.
At least five local government areas in the region have been under heavy attacks by gunmen and suspected ethnic militias since the beginning of the year.
Many lives and property worth millions of naira have been lost while many households were displaced as a result of the attacks.
In a statement on Tuesday by its National Publicity Secretary, Luka Binniyat, SOKAPU noted that with the additional deployment of soldiers to the troubled communities, the villagers have started returning and many of them, who could afford to rebuild their homes, have begun to do so.
It thanked the Commander of Operation Safe Haven for the recent fast response of troops to distress calls from communities under attack or threat of attacks, unlike in the past.
The union gave an assurance that the people of Southern Kaduna would shun any action that would be inimical to the good image, wellbeing and peace of the area, without compromising their rights to self-preservation within the law.
It also appealed to youths of the region not to initiate any act that could be interpreted as violent to anyone trespassing on any farmland, but to report such incidents to the relevant constituted authorities.
A photo of some vehicles and motorcycles burnt by bandits in Kaduna State in March 2020.
Part of the statement read, “SOKAPU assured the OPSH commander that with no other alternative place or land to fall back to, Southern Kaduna indigenes are much more desirous of peace than any other party.
We also used the opportunity to thank him for the recent fast response rate of his troops to distress calls from communities under attack or the threat of attacks, unlike in the past. We also noted his humanitarian assistance to all parties in Southern Kaduna as exceptional.
Again, we showed appreciation with his deployment of large numbers of troops to Zangan District, in Atakad Chiefdom, Kaura LGA which eight communities had been totally displaced since last year and occupied by armed herdsmen.
We acknowledged reports reaching us that the villagers have started returning and many of them, who can afford it, are rebuilding their homes.
Based on the above, we requested that other displaced communities in four LGAs of Southern Kaduna should also be assisted to return home.
We then gave him a list of the remaining occupied villages in our report and called for urgent actions to retrieve the occupied lands and bring culprits to justice
With this, thousands who may wish to return home cannot, because their homes have been completely ruined. Also, hundreds of hectares farmlands of affected communities have been ravaged by cattle on the loose.
We also have thousands living under subhuman conditions in various IDPs or at homes of relations. We are, therefore, calling for assistance from the government, NGOs and good spirited individuals for building materials, food, medicine, and any form of aid that will improve the situation of the victims.
Some IMN members run to safety when the Shiites clashed with the police in Kaduna on August 30, 2020.
At least two persons are feared killed during a clash between members of the proscribed Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN), otherwise known as Shiites, and the police in Kaduna State.
A crowd of IMN members had held a procession on Sunday in the Kaduna state capital and Zaria, before the unfortunate incident took place.
The march was held in commemoration of the Ashura, a religious rite held by Shiites globally on the 10th of the Muharram Islamic calendar.
While the procession was ongoing along the popular Ahmadu Bello Way in the state capital, the crowd was dispersed by a team of policemen who arrived at the scene.
Although the police authorities in Kaduna State have yet to confirm the incident, the spokesman for the IMN, Ibrahim Musa, issued a statement.
Musa claimed that some heavily-armed security forces came and started shooting at the crowd with live ammunition and in the process, two members were killed and many others got injured.
He also alleged that four other IMN members were wounded and two arrested by the police in Zaria when they started shooting sporadically also to disperse hundreds of IMN members who participated in the annual Ashura procession in the city and concluded it peacefully.
The Shiites clashed with the police in Kaduna on August 30, 2020.
According to the IMN spokesman, the Ashura procession was commemorated peacefully virtually in over 300 towns and villages in Nigeria without threat from the authorities except in Kaduna State.
He said the police have allegedly killed four members of the Shiite group and injured over 15 others in the last 10 days of mourning activities of the group.
Both the Kaduna State and the Federal Government had outlawed the IMN and their activities all over the country.
In July 2019, the Federal Government ordered the proscription of the movement and designated the activities of the Shiite organisation in any part of the country as ”acts of terrorism and illegality.”
A file photo of Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai. Photo: Twitter
Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has asked security agencies to arrest the killers of a 12-year-old herder, Usman Abdullahi, by some persons at Sabzuro-Tunga Nok Road in Jaba Local Government Area of the state.
He, however, commended Fulani and Ham leaders in Jaba for de-escalating tension and keeping the peace after the incident.
The Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs in Kaduna, Samuel Aruwan, gave the commendation on behalf of the governor on Saturday during a peace advocacy engagement between leaders of both ethnic groups at Ungwan Tunga in Nok District.
Aruwan, who visited the parents of the deceased at their settlement in company with the District Head of Nok, Fulani leaders, security officials, and Jaba LGA Chairman, commiserated with them over the unfortunate incident.
He gave an assurance that the government shared in their grief and promised that effort was ongoing by the security agencies to apprehend those behind the death of their son.
The commissioner also commended them for not taking the law in their hands but chose to report the matter to the appropriate authorities.
He called for the sharing of vital information with the government and security agencies to enhance timely intervention to emerging security challenges.
A map showing Kaduna, a state in Nigeria’s north-west region.
On his part, the Chairman of Jaba LGA, Benjamin Jock, explained that Usman Abdullahi was killed by yet-to-be-identified persons on the outskirts of Sabzuro-Tunga Nok Road some days ago and his body was dumped inside a bush.
Usman’s father, Abdullahi Wakili, who spoke in Hausa, thanked the government delegation for the visit.
He also assured them of absolute recourse to the law, hence their cooperation with security personnel investigating the case.
Wakili said, “All I know is that despite all that happened, I leave everything for God. I know that security operatives are doing their best. I pray that God will help them during their investigation to find the culprit.
“I also thank His Excellency, the governor of Kaduna State for his support. May God lead you all back to your various destinations safely.”
Jaba is one of the most peaceful local government areas in Kaduna State with no record of ethno-religious conflicts.
To ensure lasting peace in the LGA, the state government said it would provide needed support for the security agencies to investigate and arrest Usman’s killers with a view to bringing them to justice.
A policeman and an official of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) have been abducted by gunmen suspected to be kidnappers in Kaduna State.
The two security operatives were kidnapped from their residences at Maraban Rido in Chikun Local Government Area of the state in the late hours of Thursday.
A 14-year-old girl and one other person were also whisked away by the abductors during the operation.
The gunmen were said to have invaded the community at about midnight and went straight to some houses, shooting sporadically, and later took their victims away.
Although police authorities in the state are yet to confirm the abduction of its personnel, the spokesman of NSCDC, Kaduna State Command, Orndiir Terzungwe, however, confirmed the incident to Channels Television.
He explained that the Civil Defence officer was abducted by the gunmen from his home and taken to an unknown destination.
Terzungwe disclosed that the command has launched a manhunt of the kidnappers with a view to rescuing the officer and arresting the kidnappers.
The attack comes four days after gunmen abducted an unconfirmed number of students from a school in Kaduna State.
Channels Television learned that the incident took place on August 24, 2020 at Prince Academy in Samba-Kasaya, a village around Buruku area in Chikun Local Government Area of the state.
Those kidnapped are said to be some JSS 3 students who are preparing for the Basic Education Certificate Examinations (BECE) before the armed men invaded the school at about 7am and took them away.
Although the police authorities had yet to confirm the incident as at the time of filing the report, a security source in the area said a member of a local group in the village was shot dead by the gunmen while some villagers were also abducted along with the students.
