Fear and grief have enveloped Kaduna State after a group of bandits unleashed terror on several villages, killing four residents and abducting a cleric alongside 11 others in a late-night raid.
The coordinated assault left communities shattered, sparking renewed calls for urgent government intervention to end the unrelenting wave of violence across rural areas of the state.
Using the thickness of the night as their cover, the bandits reportedly stormed the affected villages shooting sporadically and instilling panic among helpless residents.
Whereas, in the chaos, four young men were killed, while several others were abducted including a pastor of the Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA), Reverend Istifanus Dunga.
The incident occurred in Jantsauni, Mai Doki, and Maiyamma communities within Yarkasuwa, Kurama Chiefdom of Lere Local Government Area.
Community members said the bandits, numbering in the hundreds, surrounded the villages before opening fire indiscriminately and dragging their captives into the forest.
Confirming the attack, the National Publicity Secretary of the Federated Kurama Association, Pius Kyauta, said the armed men “invaded the communities around 10 p.m., shooting recklessly and abducting several people.”
Furthermore, he lamented that the villages had been “ravaged beyond imagination,” urging authorities to take swift action to protect the remaining residents.
Meanwhile, one distraught villager recounted that his father and younger sister were among those kidnapped.
“They surrounded every targeted house,” he said. “If you try to run, they shoot you. If you hide, they break in and take you away.”
The entire Kurama Chiefdom is said to be in mourning, with community members describing the assault as both a physical and spiritual tragedy.
Many called on security agencies and faith leaders to join forces in confronting what they described as “an evil that has overstayed its welcome in Kaduna.”
