Armed gunmen abduct three housewives Boko Haram-style in southern Kaduna State

ARMED gunmen have abducted three housewives in Maganda village in Birnin Gwari Local Government Area of Kaduna State as the violent attacks in the state begin to take the form of the kidnappings introduced by terrorist sect Boko Haram.

Over the last few years, Kaduna State has become a new theatre of violence with communal killings happening regularly as armed gunmen attack villages in the south of the state. Yesterday, bandits attacked Maganda village and kidnapped the three women, while injuring a 12-year old child in the process.

Although no life was lost during the incident, the bandits were said to have shot sporadically when they invaded the community at about 2 am. One eyewitness said that on entering the village, the gunmen started shooting and then went into the compound of Alhaji Adamu Nakwalla in search of him.

He added that they searched for Alhaji Nakwalla but could not find him because he had gone into hiding on hearing the gunshots. Following this, the bandits decided to abduct his three wives when they could not find him and one of the wives was later released after they reached Danyamu, a neighbouring village, where she was given a phone number and asked to tell her husband to call them.

“The gunmen were so many, they came at about 2 am and started shooting sporadically. They went to the residence of Alhaji Adamu Nakwalla and started searching for him but they couldn’t get him because he went into hiding when he heard the gunshots," the eyewitness added.

He pointed out that many communities were yet to feel the impact of the security agencies deployed in the area to stave off the incessant attacks on their villages. Local people have appealed to the state and federal governments to urgently stop the bandits from terrorising communities in the Birnin Gwari area.

“In our area, there are no security personnel and the criminals operate freely. We are just at their mercy, they kill, kidnap and rape. it is a very horrible situation,” the eyewitness said.

Recently, the Nigerian Army launched Operation Idon Raini in Kompanin Doka village to flush out the bandits in the area with the chief of army staff Lt General Tukur Buratai, ordering troops to flush out the hoodlums within three weeks. Also, the police deployed 200 additional personnel in the area to curb the incessant banditry that has crippled farming and socio-economic activities.

In addition to the attack on the Birnin Gwari village, the Nigerian Army said yesterday that some courageous residents foiled a suicide bomb attack by a suspected female Boko Haram member on a mosque in Gashua in Gujba Local Government Area of Yobe State. Nigerian Army spokesman Col Onyema Nwachukwu, added that members of the Explosive Ordinance Disposal Component of Operation Lafiya Dole have safely defused the suicide vest, while the suicide bomber is currently receiving medical attention due to injuries sustained during her arrest.