Barely a week after the abduction of 177 church worshippers in the Kajuru Local Government Area of Kaduna State, bandits have again struck in the area, abducting six residents of Unguwar Barkonu in Maraban Kajuru.
The latest attack occurred in the early hours of Sunday in Kufana Ward, even as the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) held special prayers for the safe return of the previously abducted worshippers.
A resident of the community, Steven Kefas, said the armed men invaded the area around 1 am, breaking into several houses and abducting six residents.
‘Bandits stormed our community at about 1 am, broke into houses and forcefully took six people away to an unknown destination’, Kefas said.
Expressing frustration over the location of the attack, he added, ‘This incident didn’t occur in a remote village with no access to a road.
It happened right at the heart of Kajuru, in Kudana, where people expect some level of security presence’.
Kefas further lamented the absence of a rapid security response.
‘As of the time of filing this report, there was no response from the police or other security agencies. The community was left on its own’, he said.
Confirming the incident, the Chairman of CAN in Kajuru Local Government Area, the Rev. Enoch Kaura, said the attack took place around 11 pm on Saturday when bandits invaded the community.
‘They surrounded the entire area and created fear among residents’, Kaura said. ‘But when neighbours raised the alarm, and people started coming out of their houses, the attackers fled, making away with six residents’.
Kaura described the recurring attacks as deeply troubling, especially coming so soon after the abduction of church worshippers.
‘It is painful that while families are still crying and praying for the return of the 177 abducted worshippers, bandits have struck again. This has created fear and anxiety in the entire Kajuru axis’, he said.
Efforts to obtain official reaction from the Kaduna State Police Command were unsuccessful.
The Police Public Relations Officer, Deputy Superintendent (DSP) Mansir Hassan, could not be reached as his telephone line indicated ‘not reachable’, while a text message sent to him had not been responded to as of the time of filing this report.
Meanwhile, a special prayer session for the safe return of the 177 abducted worshippers was held on Sunday at Tawaliu Baptist Church in Maraban Kajuru.
The prayer gathering attracted Christian leaders from across Kaduna State and parts of northern Nigeria.
Families of the abducted worshippers, some of whom were visibly emotional, attended the service as they continued to wait anxiously for news of their loved ones. Church leaders used the occasion to call on government and security agencies to intensify efforts to secure the release of all abducted persons and restore peace to the area.
