Bandits kill three, abduct nursing mothers, eight-day-old baby

Bandits have reportedly killed three people and kidnapped seven others, including two nursing mothers and an eight-day-old baby in Kaduna State.

The attack occurred at Unguwar Dan- Baki, Sabon-Layi village in Birnin-Gwari Local Government Area.

The bandits were said to have stormed the community on Sunday evening, shooting sporadically and killing the three persons on the spot. The Chairman of the Birnin-Gwari Vanguards for Security and Good Governance, Ibrahim Abubakar Nagwari, said in a statement in Kaduna yesterday that the incident occurred about 7p.m. Nagwari said one of the nursing mothers was abducted alongside her eight-day-old baby and had not been seen. He said: “The gunmen had a field day as they carted away some cattle used for cultivation by the villagers in their farms.”

Nagwari quoted a witness, Garba Tanko, as saying that the attack took place during the evening prayers when many of the community members were in the mosque. He said: “The attackers had a field day and carted away cattle use for animal traction by the villagers in their farms.

The attackers are using the corridors of Kamuku Forest and Kuyambana Forest in Zamfara State to terrorise farming communities in Birnin-Gwari Local Government territories.”

Nagwari called on the Federal Government to deploy more security personnel to stop the influx of bandits being chased from Zamfara State by the military to the Birnin Gwari area. He said: “As the military and police personnel are advancing to secure many parts of our territories from bandits and kidnappers especially on Birnin-Gwari- Kaduna Road as well as Birnin-Gwari- Funtua Road, we are calling on the Federal Government to deploy more security forces to Birnin-Gwari to prevent influx of bandits escaping military onslaught in Zamfara State to Birnin-Gwari.”

The state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Mukhtar Aliyu, could not be reached to comment on the killings.