Gunmen have reportedly abducted several residents following coordinated attacks on multiple villages in Kajuru and Kauru Local Government Areas (LGAs) of Kaduna State.
According to reports, the assailants attacked Agwallan Centre, Janwuriya, and Afogo villages in Kajuru LGA on Thursday evening, abducting an unspecified number of people returning from their farms. The attackers were said to be armed with sophisticated weapons.
Hours later, another group of gunmen reportedly invaded Kallah and Aokpeshura villages in the same LGA, firing sporadically and kidnapping more residents, including women and children.
Among those abducted in Kallah were 29-year-old Simon Audi, 23-year-old Beuty Audu, and a six-month-old baby, Holliness Simon.
The report stated that a 40-year-old resident, Enoch Simon, was later rescued, while two others, Anthony Saidu, 32, and Jenecy Obasanjo, 20, were taken to a hospital in Kujama after sustaining injuries.
A repentant bandit identified as Babban Gayya was reportedly behind the attacks, allegedly seeking revenge for the killing of some of his men by military operatives.
In a separate incident on the same day, gunmen also attacked Kuyan Bana village in Kauru LGA, moving from house to house and abducting several residents.
Security forces were said to have been deployed to the affected areas, with troops cordoning off surrounding forests and launching a search-and-rescue operation.
