Kaduna Suffers Second Family Abduction in 24 Hours as Banditry Escalates
Kaduna State is reeling from a fresh wave of bandit attacks, with seven members of a family — a mother and her six children — abducted in Kurmin-Uwa, Kagarko Local Government Area. This latest incident, occurring late Friday night, follows closely on the heels of another mass kidnapping just 24 hours prior, underscoring a rapidly deteriorating security situation in the region.
Nighttime Raid Targets Kurmin-Uwa Family
According to Ibrahim Shehu, a Kagarko town resident who confirmed the incident, armed bandits stormed Kurmin-Uwa around 10:23 pm on Friday, directly targeting a specific household. They forcibly took seven individuals, plunging the community into fear and despair.
The abducted family members have been identified as:
- Ladi Malachy (Mother)
- Patience Malachy (Child)
- Promise Malachy (Child)
- Inama Malachy (Child)
- Peter Malachy (Child)
- Aboyi Malachy (Child)
A community leader, speaking anonymously due to security concerns, corroborated the abduction. He revealed that upon receiving a distress call about the invasion of Kurmin-Uwa village, located approximately 2 kilometers from Kagarko town, he immediately alerted security operatives. However, he remains unsure if they subsequently responded to the urgent plea.
Expressing profound concern over the persistent bandit attacks plaguing numerous villages within Kagarko LGA, the community leader stated that as of now, no contact has been established with the abductors regarding ransom or their demands.
Security Forces Grapple with Widespread Threats
The latest abduction highlights the immense pressure on security forces already stretched thin. A security source, who also preferred to remain unnamed, admitted to only learning about the Kurmin-Uwa incident from reporters. He explained that his unit had been engaged in an extensive search operation since Tuesday, attempting to locate a bandit hideout around Kachia to rescue victims from the earlier Wednesday abduction in Katari.
"I am just hearing about the latest abduction from you because we have been in the forest since Tuesday, trying to locate the bandits hideout around Kachia in order to rescue those who were abducted in Katari on Wednesday, but I will find out," the source stated, indicating the challenges in coordinating rapid responses amidst multiple ongoing crises.
Efforts to obtain an official statement from the Kaduna State Police Command proved futile. DSP Hassan Mansur, the command's spokesman, neither answered calls nor replied to text messages concerning the latest abduction.
The successive kidnappings within a 24-hour window, first in Unguwar Sabon-Titi, Katari, where seven family members and three others were taken, and now in Kurmin-Uwa, paint a grim picture of escalating insecurity and vulnerability for residents across Kaduna State.