Over 30 people were abducted Monday night when bandits attacked and ransacked Keke B community in New Millennium City, Chikun local government area of Kaduna state.
Millennium City has suffered spate of bandits’ attacks in the last two months.
Keke B suffered a kidnappers’ attack a month ago where a couple and their housemaid were abducted.
Sabon Gero, Doka Maijama’a and Danbushiya had equally suffered different attacks from the marauders.
Blueprint gathered that the attack took place around 9:00pm Monday night during a heavy rain, as few residents were returning from work, most of them were preparing to go to bed.
The bandits went away with scores of people as the actual number of people kidnapped could not be confirmed.
However, eyewitnesses said more than 35 residents made up of men and women were abducted.
Operatives of the Millennium City Police Division visited the scene of the kidnap to investigate the attack and ascertain the number of people kidnapped.
But the Kaduna state government and the state police command were yet to com)pment on the attacks.
Residents however told our correspondent that many people were raided by the kidnapped who ransacked the area room by room before eloping with their victims.
According to a resident, who doesn’t want her name in print, “the kidnappers came around 9:00pm during that rain. People were not alerted early enough, because the rain was heavy. They kidnapped many people. Most of the people kidnapped were just returning home during the attack and they ran into the bandits.”
Also speaking, another resident, Muhammad Salihu said, “many of us were still outside when the bandits attacked because it was quite early, around 8.30pm. They came in a large number, shooting sporadically with sophisticated weapons. They broke into people’s houses one after the other and kidnapped the occupants. A motorcycle mechanic was able to escape from the kidnappers, but they went away with 36 residents.”
Efforts made to reach the Kaduna state Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Mohammed Jalige proved abortive as his mobile phone was switched off.
4 killed in Zamfara
In a related development, residents of Morai community in Talata Mafara local government area of Zamfara state said four people were killed while over 30 others were abducted Monday morning during a terror invasion.
They said the bandits attacked the community around 02:30 a.m and operated till 06:15a.m of same day.
A resident, Mansur Zainu, said it was the first time gunmen would attack the town, the second largest in the local government area.
“They have attacked villages around us but they came yesterday for the first time and it was terrible. Our vigilante members tried to repel them but you know they have more sophisticated weapons than our people,” he said.
Zainu further said the gunmen killed three men and a boy, including the Sarkin Fawa (the chief butcher) of the town, Sani Na’Ayi and Yahaya Mohammed, a businessman.
“We don’t know how they were killed because it was only after the attack that we found their bodies when we returned but it’s possible that they were shot while trying to flee like other people,” Zainu said.
A younger brother to the slain Mohammed, who asked not to be named, said the deceased’s wife, uncle and sister-in-law were abducted.
“When the bandits entered our area, Yahaya was the first to run but he, unfortunately, felt he couldn’t run much so he decided to hide behind a food silo but it was unfortunate that one of the bandits had seen him, he followed and shot him twice on the head,” he said.
Another resident, Lawal Suyidi, said most of those abducted were women.
“In our house alone, four women and two of my younger brothers were taken. My elder sister was also abducted but when she got tired, they (bandits) left her behind. It was some vigilante members that saw her and brought her back,” he said.
Suyidi said three of her sons were, nonetheless, taken, adding that they stopped counting the number of missing residents because some returned on Monday evening “but we’ve over 30 residents yet to be accounted for.”
The sole administrator of the local government area, Dahiru Mai Yàrá, didn’t respond to calls and SMS asking for comment about the attack.
However, one of his aides said Tuesday that they were at the community to condole with the District Head.
“Yes, we have even gone to sympathise with them,” the aide, who asked not to be named, said.
When contacted, the police spokesman in the state, Mohammed Shehu, asked Premium Times to give him an hour to get details of the attack before he could comment.
After two hours, this reporter called and sent an SMS but were all ignored.
Senate passes bill on arms proliferation
Meanwhile, The Senate Tuesday passed a bill to establish the National Commission for the Coordination and Control of the Proliferation of Small Arms and Light Weapons (NCCCPSALW).
The passage of the National Commission Against the proliferation of Small Arms and Light Weapons (Establishment) Bill, 2022, followed the consideration of a report by the committee on national security and intelligence.
The bill is a consolidation of three bills – two private-member bills and one from the Executive arm of government against the proliferation of small arms and light weapons in the country.
They are: The Nigerian National Commission against the Proliferation of Small Arms and Light Weapons (Establishment) Bill, 2020(SB. 283); The Nigerian National Commission against the Proliferation of Small Arms and Light Weapons (Establishment) Bill, 2020 (SB. 513); and The National Centre for the Coordination and Control of the Proliferation of Small Arms and Light Weapons (Establishment) Bill, 2021 (SB. 794).
The three bills after scaling second reading, respectively, in the Senate, were all referred to the committee on national security and intelligence for further legislative work.
Chairman of the committee, Senator Ibrahim Gobir (APC – Sokoto East), in a presentation on the floor, said the three bills sought to provide for the establishment of a government body that would be saddled with combating the proliferation of small arms and light weapons in Nigeria.
According to him, the functions of the body shall be in line with Article 24 of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Convention on the Proliferation of Small Arms and Light Weapons which came into force in 2009.
The lawmaker added that the Committee on National Security and Intelligence, resolved to consolidate the three bills into one.
He explained that doing so, would adequately cater for the establishment of a Commission to implement measures aimed at eradicating illicit arms.
Gobir noted that establishing a Commission against proliferation of weapons stemmed from the need to immediately address the nation’s present state of insecurity.
The National Commission Against the proliferation of Small Arms and Light Weapons (Establishment) Bill, 2022, was passed by the Senate, after a clause-by-clause consideration of the Committee’s report by the Committee of the Whole.
