Bandits sack 2000 in Kaduna as police parade 81

Bandits have displaced 15 villages in Igabi West Local Council of Kaduna State.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the incident, which happened around 1:00 pm.on Sunday, resulted in the displacement of 2000 persons who have since taken refuge at the LEA Birnin Yero Primary School along the Kaduna-Zaria road.

One of the victims and the village head of Unguwan Gibe, Jibrin Abdullahi said: “Bandits came to our village to attack us at about 1:00 p.m. on Sunday.

“The problems started when the vigilantes decided to help the community to deal with the bandits in their hideout.

“The bandits don’t allow us to go to the farm and the vigilantes wanted to bring an end to this. But when they got to their hideout, they were overpowered and the bandits said since the community has decided to attack them, we will not have peace.”

He identified the affected settlements as Tura; Unguwan Gebi; Unguwan Dangauta; Unguwan Nayawu; Unguwan Makeri; Jagani; Sabon Gida; Dallatu; and Unguwan Alhaji Ahmadu.

Others include Sabon Gari; Kusau; Gidan Sarkin Noma; Unguwan Pati; Unguwan Tofa; and Sauran Giwa.

According to him, “I have three wives, but only two are with me. I don’t know where the other wife is now, as you can see, about 2000 people are displaced.”

He regretted that the activities of the hoodlums were negatively affecting his investment, stating: “I spent over N2 million on my farm. For the past 25 days, I can’t go to the farm due to the bandits’ activities.”

Also, the Chief Imam of Izala Mosque, Ibrahim Usman, said the bandits had been terrorising the community even before the Sunday’s attack. He appealed to the government to assist them in returning home.

Besides, the village head of Birnin Yero, Alhaji Umar Danyaro, where the victims are camped, described the situation as “very unfortunate.”

The district head of Rigachikun, Alhaji Abdulrasheed Sani, equally pleaded with the victims to be patriotic, promising them that the situation would be addressed by the state government.

The spokesman for the state police command, DSP Yakubu Sabo, confirmed the incident.

Moreover, officials of the Kaduna Emergency Management Agency were at the camp for an on-the-spot assessment.

In a similar vein, the police yesterday paraded 81 suspected kidnappers, armed robbers and Internet fraudsters apprehended in Taraba, Kaduna and other parts of the federation.

Among the suspects were a gang of kidnappers that abducted a Sokoto lawmaker and another group that terrorises the Abuja-Kaduna highway.

Parading the suspects in Abuja, Force Public Relations Officer, DCP Frank Mba, said the police also recovered N10.1 million, laptops, riffles and other items from the arrested persons.