Kaduna's Abduction Nightmare Deepens: Second Family Kidnapped in 24 Hours
Kaduna State is grappling with an escalating security crisis as armed bandits unleashed another wave of terror, abducting seven members of a family in Kurmin-Uwa, Kagarko Local Government Area. This latest incident, occurring late Friday night, follows barely 24 hours after a similar mass kidnapping in Unguwar Sabon-Titi, Katari, underscoring a grim pattern of serial abductions plaguing the region.
Terrifying Friday Night Raid in Kurmin-Uwa
According to Ibrahim Shehu, a resident of Kagarko town who confirmed the incident, the raid on Kurmin-Uwa, near Janjala community, took place around 10:23 pm on Friday. The assailants reportedly targeted a specific household, forcibly whisking away a mother and her six children.
The abducted victims have been identified as:
- Ladi Malachy (Mother)
- Patience Malachy
- Promise Malachy
- Inama Malachy
- Peter Malachy
- Aboyi Malachy
Community Leaders Alarmed, Security Response Questioned
A community leader, who requested anonymity for safety reasons, corroborated the abduction. He revealed that he immediately alerted security operatives upon receiving distress calls about the bandits' invasion in Kurmin-Uwa village, located just 2 kilometers from Kagarko town. "After I received a distress call that bandits had invaded Kurmin-Uwa village, I quickly alerted the security operatives, but I don’t know if they later responded," he stated, expressing profound concern over the persistent bandit attacks on numerous villages within Kagarko LGA.
As of the time of reporting, no contact has been established with the abductors, leaving the community in agonizing suspense over the fate of the kidnapped family.
Security Forces Stretched Amidst Ongoing Searches
The latest abduction casts a stark light on the immense challenges faced by security forces in the state. An anonymous security source, when contacted, revealed he was just learning about the Kurmin-Uwa incident. He explained that his team had been in the forest since Tuesday, actively engaged in an extensive search operation around Kachia to locate the hideout of bandits responsible for Wednesday’s abduction in Katari and rescue those victims.
"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, highlighting the overwhelming scope of the banditry crisis.
Attempts to reach DSP Hassan Mansur, the spokesperson for the Kaduna State Police Command, for comment on the recent abductions proved futile, as he neither answered calls nor responded to text messages.