Kaduna: Bandits kill village head, abduct Islamic scholar, journalist’s children

From Femi Oyelola, Kaduna

Some suspected Bandits allegedly murdered the Village Head of Gefe village alongside one other local, in Kallah Ward of Kufana Chiefdom, Kajuru Local Government Area of Kaduna State.
The bandits, according to locals, who attacked the village at about midnight on Thursday, also left with many women and children from the community.
Although the Police were yet to react, a community leader in the area, Markus Danja, said that the Village Head identified as Mr. Emmanuel Idan, and the other locals, were shot by the bandits.
According to him, ” They arrived and started shooting sporadically after surrounding the community. People who were outside ran for safety.
“Unfortunately, our Village Head was among those outside and was shot while trying to flee. The other person was chased into his room and shot dead before the attackers took away his wife.
“The bandits went house to house picking their victims.”
Markus also disclosed that his brother’s wives and children were among those taken away by the hoodlums.
In a related development, a journalist‘s wife and their 2 daughters were abducted in Kaduna at the Keke community of Millennium City on Thursday night.
A source informed journalists that the victims who were in Kaduna for a holiday, were abducted along side 8 members of the same family.
In a terse statement, the journalist identified as Mohammed Bashir, who is a correspondent of a national daily in Kogi State, sought prayers for the release of the victims.
“My dear colleagues, please, I need your prayers. My two daughters and their mother, along with eight others, were kidnapped yesterday by unknown gunmen in Kaduna, where they went for a holiday. Please pray for me,” he stated.
Also, in Zaria Kaduna State, bandits have abducted an Islamic Scholar, Sheikh Isma’il Gausi.
It was reported that the suspended bandits attacked Gausi’s evidence, and shot sporadically before taking him away in a truck on Wednesday night, August 7, 2024.
“The noise of gunshots was alarming. We saw the bandits forcefully taking away the Sheikh. We are deeply worried and call on the authorities to ensure the safe return of our loved ones,” a local said.