Suspected bandits have killed a resident and abducted nine people, including his wife and two children, during a late-night attack on Babban Saura (PW) community in Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State.
The attackers reportedly stormed the community in the early hours of Thursday, invading at least three houses and taking several residents hostage.
The incident occurred as Nigerians marked the country’s 66th Independence Day.
A community source told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the attackers first broke into the home of an elderly resident, where they abducted two of his children.
The assailants subsequently moved to the residence of a man identified as Sikiru. According to the source, the attackers breached the compound through the fence before entering the house.
Sikiru reportedly confronted the intruders after they entered his parlour and engaged some of them in a struggle. The confrontation ended tragically when the attackers shot and killed him.
They then abducted his wife and two children before moving to a neighbouring residence, where they reportedly seized a woman, identified as Maman Mubarak, and her four children.
Mubarak was later rescued after soldiers and local vigilantes pursued the attackers, but her four children remained in captivity.
The commander of the local vigilantes, Usman Adamu, confirmed the incident to NAN, saying nine people were initially abducted.
Adamu said the vigilantes received a distress call during the attack and immediately alerted security personnel. Soldiers subsequently joined the vigilantes in tracking the attackers.
“We received a distress call that bandits had entered Babban Saura PW, and so we informed soldiers who joined us,” Adamu said.
He explained that the security team traced the attackers to the Eastern Bypass area, where they succeeded in rescuing Mubarak.
“We traced them to the Eastern Bypass area and succeeded in rescuing a woman, Maman Mubarak, whose four children were among those kidnapped,” he said.
According to Adamu, the security personnel continued efforts to rescue the remaining victims, but the attackers managed to escape with them.
Another resident, who identified himself as Anas, said Sikiru contacted him by phone shortly after the attackers invaded the community.
The latest attack has heightened concerns over the safety of residents in the area, particularly amid recurring incidents of kidnapping and armed attacks in parts of Kaduna State.
