Kaduna: 125 killed, 60 kidnapped in 82 days

•Terrorists rustle cattle
•NAF jets kill fleeing bandits

By Clifford Ndujihe & Ibrahim Hassan-Wuyo, Kaduna

AGAIN, terrorists killed nine persons, including four local vigilantes at the Sabon Layi Community, Birnin Gwari Local Government Area of Kaduna State, yesterday.

This brings to 125 the number of people killed by bandits in the state since January, according to Vanguard’s checks. Also, 60 people have been abducted.

Locals said they saw the terrorists patrolling the affected community on Tuesday, but there were no security operatives to chase them away.

“It was confirmed that the bandits were shooting, rustling cattle, looting property and committing other heinous crimes, a situation which had residents scampering for safety.

“Immediately, the Air Component of Operation Whirl Punch was contacted for action, and the unit responded promptly to the location.

“On arrival at Sabon Layi, a thorough scan revealed normal human activities at the reported location. However, about four kilometres north of Sabon Layi village, the bandits were sighted fleeing for cover from the aircraft. They were engaged and neutralised in several passes.

“No further movement was observed after the strike. The aircraft sustained its presence overhead before withdrawing.

“While the government awaits a formal report on the initial attack in Sabon Layi village, Governor Nasir el-Rufai has praised the Air Component for the prompt action, and conveyed his gratitude for neutralising the fleeing bandits,” the statement added.

According to a BBC Hausa report, many locals were kidnapped in the area, while livestock belonging to them were rustled by the terrorists.

The Kaduna State Ministry of Internal Security said it was still compiling details of the incident, but military jets had since reached the community to forestall further attacks.

NAF jets kill fleeing bandits

Meanwhile, terrorists who attacked a community in Birnin-Gwari were, yesterday, killed by military fighter jets, as they tried to escape.

State Commissioner, Ministry of Internal Security and Home Affairs, Samuel Aruwan, in a statement, explained that “at 9:44am., the ministry received a distress call of armed bandits attacking Sabon Layi village, in Birnin Gwari LGA.

“It was confirmed that the bandits were shooting, rustling cattle, looting property and committing other heinous crimes, a situation which had residents scampering for safety.

“Immediately, the Air Component of Operation Whirl Punch was contacted for action, and the unit responded promptly to the location.

“On arrival at Sabon Layi, a thorough scan revealed normal human activities at the reported location. However, about four kilometres north of Sabon Layi village, the bandits were sighted fleeing for cover from the aircraft. They were engaged and neutralised in several passes.

“No further movement was observed after the strike. The aircraft sustained its presence overhead before withdrawing.

“While the government awaits a formal report on the initial attack in Sabon Layi village, Governor Nasir el-Rufai has praised the Air Component for the prompt action, and conveyed his gratitude for neutralising the fleeing bandits,” the statement added.

My life under threat—Ogunrinde

Miss Ogunrinde Opeyemi has called the police authorities to prove a threat to her life over an altercation bothering on religion she had with some students, while she was schooling in the North.

In a message, she raised concern over her safety, noting that her life was under threat from some of her old schoolmates, who were threatening her life, accusing her of blasphemy.

She is pleading for protection from those who have declared her wanted owing to her religious belief.

Miss Ogunrinde, in the message, narrated that her predicament began when she was schooling in the far northern part of the country, specifically Katsina, Isa Keita College of Education, Dustin-ma.

Ogunrinde, who is the third child and only female among the three children, said there was a WhatsApp group for the students, where they interact with their school activities, but to her dismay, some of her colleagues, who were males and Muslims suddenly turned the platform discussions, narrating issue of killing and molesting people as well as imposing their religion on others.

According to her, she was on the frontline criticizing her colleagues, not knowing that they belong to an unknown religious sect.

She said that she always told them that it was better to make the group platform for the academic purposes for which it was formed, but not comfortable with her position, the men started threatening to deal with her for having the courage to oppose them.

She noted that the threats got to their head one of the days when she challenged them not to discuss anything not related to their class work on the platform. However, this did not go down well with them, hence, they took a decision to deal with her.

To ensure their threat became a reality, the lady said a group of men came to her father’s house in search of her.

She narrated that the first day they came to visit, she wasn’t around, but their threatening message was related to her by her siblings. Realising that her father has a church and that he is a pastor in the same locality, they became more enraged, insisting they have to deal with her.

She said that while this was going on, in another school, some students at one Ideal School, a private secondary school in the community, reported to youth outside the school that a teacher was teaching an SS2 class lessons that were ‘blasphemous’ in Islam.

Youths protest alleged blasphemy

The youths were protesting alleged blasphemous statements made by a corps member.
Two churches were burnt at Tudun Wada, Funtua Local Government Area in Katsina State by rampaging youths, witnesses have said.

Narrating what happened, she said: “What really helped me on that day was that I was on menstrual period, I went out to look for what to keep me clean. Not up to 10 minutes after I left, I was hearing people shouting, running helter-skelter.

“Initially, I thought it was an armed robbery attack but on my approach a near distance to the church building, I realised it was some guys, calling and shouting my name to come out. They were shouting that they were out to kill me. I had hidden for my dear life.

“I had to run to a very far place in a missionary house. I presented some videos to the mission house people, who decided to provide me with protection.

“When the pressure and fear of further attacks started coming, I had to escape to a family friend’s house in Lagos with the help of the people in the mission house. I was directed to another mission house which I cannot disclose publicly, and I even learned they came to look for me after I escaped to Lagos.”

She added that it was from the mission house in Lagos that she secured help that made her escape out of the country for her life.

“As it is now, I don’t know the whereabouts of my other family members,” she added.

No fewer than 125 were killed, 60 were kidnapped in 82 days

Kaduna State has been a hot-bed of killings and kidnapping by bandits of which no fewer than 101 including 12 security operatives and six vigilantes had been killed and 42 people kidnapped between January 1 and March 24, 2023, according to the National Security Tracker, NST.

Vanguard’s checks put the figures at 125 deaths, 82 kidnapped

The figures marked an improvement in a number of deaths and those abducted within the same period in 2022.
The figure excludes those killed or kidnapped between March 24 to April 11.

In the first three months of 2022, no fewer than 287 people were killed, and 356 people kidnapped in Kaduna State

Timeline of killings, kidnapping in Kaduna since January 2023

Jan 1: Bandits abducted two in Kagarko.
Jan 2-3: Troops killed four bandits in Giwa
Jan 9: Bandits killed 12 security operatives in Birnin-Gwari.
Jan 11: Bandits killed two and abducted four in Igabi.
Jan 14: Police officers killed one bandit in Igabi.
Jan 16: Troops killed two bandits in Chikun.
Jan 17: Jan 18: Six people were killed while several others were injured in an attempt to apprehend kidnappers who abducted two residents of Zonkwa in Zangon Kataf LGA.
Jan 23: Troops killed three bandits in Chikun.
Jan 25: Bandits killed five in Chikun
Feb 3: Gunmen killed two in Lere.
Feb 9: Troops killed four bandits in Birnin-Gwari.
Feb 16: Troops killed seven bandits in Chikun
Feb 19: Bandits abducted two in Giwa, Kaduna.
Feb 22: Troops killed five bandits in Birnin-Gwari.
March 1: Bandits killed one and abducted 23 in Kagarko.
March 3: Troops killed one bandit in Chikun, Kaduna.
March 5: Nigerian Air Force (NAF) airstrikes killed three civilians in Giwa.
March 7: Bandits killed six vigilantes in Birnin-Gwari
March 10: Bandits killed one and abducted four in Lere.
March 11: Bandits killed 17 in Zangon Kataf.
March 13: Police officers killed one bandit in Giwa.
March 14: Bandits killed 10 in Zangon Kataf.
March 16: Security operatives killed five Shi’ites in Igabi
March 23: Bandits killed one and abducted three in Kajuru.