Bandits unleash ‘week of rage’ on Kaduna

..Mother, I yr-old baby abducted as relocate warning circulates

• Fleeing residents, blame onslaught on killing of kingpin, Boderi

BY IDIBIA GABRIEL

The fear of bandits has taken a toll on both residents and businesses especially those located within fringe communities in Kaduna state. The situation has grown worse, in terms of severity and tactics and recently resulted in the abduction of a one year old baby, following an attack on Auta and Gonin Gora communities on Thursday.

Sunday Times gathered that business premises of prosperous wholesalers and retailers are folding up within the community centres for fear of bandits’ informants, while others are operating under anxious security consciousness.

Gonin Gora sources said there was an intelligent report which made the vigilantes in the affected Auta community and environs to increase their alertness in response to impending attack by bandits, which in the past days have been daring.

READ ALSO: Ondo, Behold Your Own – Jimi Odimayo

“The bandits onslaught in Goni-Gora on Wednesday night/Thursday morning left two vigilante members dead and a military vehicle burnt with an unknown number of people kidnapped. This is the third attack in recent times.

“The killing of Boderi (a bandit leader) is expected to infuriate his boys and they will go rampage. The above is not meant to create fear, but to guide people on situational awareness”, a source stated.

The source said that two military vehicles also strategically positions were set ablaze by the bandits when the officers went out for operation to a different location.

It was also gathered that the nursing mother and her baby who were recently kidnapped had earlier left the neighbouhood for two years, but were abducted when they returned.

A neighbour who gave his name as Mr. Anawo, confirmed that the nursing mother returned to the house built by her husband not too long before their invasion and abduction. “Kidnapping on outskirts of the communities is not only on the increase but alarming as about 70 percent of the incidents are no longer reported to security agencies. Just a few days after the bandits’ attack and killings in the Gonin Gora area of Kaduna community, security alert was released on “Safety of the Lord”, by some Christian faithful urging members in the outskirts of Kaduna to relocate into the community centres.

CONTINUES PAG 2

“The safety alert statement read in parts: “Inform brethren living at the fringes/outskirts of Kaduna town to relocate into the heart of their communities, where it’s not feasible, they should rent a “sleeping house” in the heart of the community for the family to go and sleep at night.

“High risk areas for above include: Mararaban Rido, Millennium city, Juji, Eastern byepass, Goni Gora, Kudenda, Mando and Rigachukun.”

Police is yet to issue any official report about the recent bandits’ attack, which resulted in the killing of 2 local ‘vigilante men’.