Gunmen have kidnapped a pregnant woman, a nursing mother with her baby and five other family members after attacking Sabon Gero community in Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State.
The attackers also killed a vigilante member, Abdulrahman Lawal, during the operation.
The attackers stormed the area around 12am on Sunday, to abduct the victims into the bush.
One of the victims who escaped, Jamila Alhaji Ado, said the gunmen attacked their home at night and gathered all the women and children before taking 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.
Jamila said the kidnappers made them trek for hours despite her inability to walk.
She said “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.”
The head of the affected family, Alhaji Ado Idris, said the gunmen 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 they 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 hands in the bush. I am appealing for help to rescue them,” he said.
A community vigilante leader, Aliyu Muktar, confirmed the incident, saying the killed vigilante 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.
The State Police Command’s Public Relations Officer, DSP Mansir Hassan, was yet to confirm the incident as his phone could not be accessed, but a police source confirmed the incident.
