Tragedy struck in Kaduna State on Tuesday night as suspected armed bandits invaded three communities in Yarkasuwa, Kurama Chiefdom, Lere Local Government Area, killing four residents and abducting 12 others, including an ECWA pastor.
The affected communities, Jantsauni, Mai Doki and Maiyamma, were attacked around 10 p.m. by the heavily armed assailants, who reportedly surrounded the villages before opening fire indiscriminately.
Among those abducted was the ECWA pastor, Rev. Istifanus Dunga, while four young men, said to be between the ages of 27 and 30, were killed during the attack.
The National Publicity Secretary of the Federated Kurama Association, Mr. Pius Agaji Kyauta, confirmed the incident, saying the invaders stormed the villages “around 10 p.m., shooting sporadically and abducting several residents.”
He said there was an urgent need for government and security agencies to intervene, noting that the communities had been “ravaged beyond imagination.”
A resident whose father and younger sister were kidnapped said the attackers, numbering in hundreds, “surrounded every targeted house,” adding, “You dare not go out to run; they will just shoot you. And if you remain indoors, they will enter and take you away.”
The entire Kurama community is said to be in mourning, as residents lamented the continued spate of killings and abductions in the area, describing the latest assault as “an evil that requires both security and spiritual intervention.”