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Suspected bandits have abducted a pregnant woman, a nursing mother with her baby, and five other family members in Sabon Gero community in Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State.
The gunmen reportedly invaded the community around midnight on Sunday, went straight to the household, and whisked the victims away in a vehicle, Daily Trust reported on Wednesday.
One of the victims who escaped, Jamila Alhaji Ado, said the attackers stormed their home at night and gathered all the women and children before marching them away.
“They came into the house at night and gathered us together with our children and the other women, including a pregnant woman and a nursing mother with her baby, and took us away,” she said.
She explained that the abductors forced them to trek for hours despite her inability to walk.
“I told them I could not walk, but they forced me. As we started moving, they noticed I was falling, so they left me in the bush and continued,” she added.
The head of the affected family, Alhaji Ado Idris, said the abductors had earlier demanded ransom from him weeks before the attack.
“They called me about three weeks ago asking for money, and I told them I had none,” he said, adding that the gunmen later returned to carry out the attack.
“When they entered, they started shooting, but they did not see me. They took my wives, including the pregnant one and the nursing mother with her baby, and my other children. Right now, seven members of my family are in their custody in the bush. I am appealing for help to rescue them,” he said.
Meanwhile, the attackers also killed a vigilante member, Abdulrahman Lawal, during the operation. A community vigilante leader, Aliyu Muktar, confirmed the incident, stating that the deceased was attacked at his shop.
“The attackers were shooting after surrounding the area. He struggled with one of them before they shot him,” he said.
The father of the deceased, Muhammadu Lawal, said his son died on the way to the hospital after sustaining gunshot injuries.
In a related development, bandits also killed a young man in another community.
