Barely one week after the abduction of 177 church worshippers in Kajuru Local Government Area of Kaduna State, suspected bandits have carried out another attack in the area, abducting six residents of Unguwar Barkonu in Maraban Kajuru.
The latest incident occurred in the early hours of Sunday at Kufana Ward, coinciding with special prayer sessions organised by the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) for the safe return of the previously abducted worshippers.
A resident of the community, Steven Kefas, disclosed that the armed attackers invaded the area around 1:00 a.m., forcefully entering several houses before whisking away six people to an unknown location.
According to him, the attack took place in a relatively central part of Kajuru, not in a remote settlement, raising concerns about the level of security presence in the area.
“This incident happened right in Kudana, at the heart of Kajuru, where residents expect some form of security coverage,” Kefas said, lamenting that there was no immediate response from security agencies.
He added that as of the time of filing the report, the community had not received any intervention from the police or other security operatives.
Confirming the incident, the Chairman of CAN in Kajuru Local Government Area, Rev. Enoch Kaura, said the attack occurred around 11:00 p.m. on Saturday when bandits surrounded the community, causing widespread panic among residents.
He explained that the attackers eventually fled after neighbours raised an alarm and residents began to mobilise, but not before abducting six people.
Rev. Kaura described the repeated attacks as distressing, particularly coming shortly after the mass abduction of church worshippers in the same axis.
“It is heartbreaking that while families are still grieving and praying for the return of the 177 abducted worshippers, bandits have struck again. Fear and anxiety have now engulfed the entire Kajuru area,” he said.
Attempts to get an official response from the Kaduna State Police Command were unsuccessful. The Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Mansir Hassan, could not be reached as his phone line was reportedly unavailable, and a text message sent to him had not been replied to at the time of filing this report.
Meanwhile, a special prayer service for the safe return of the abducted worshippers was held on Sunday at Tawaliu Baptist Church in Maraban Kajuru. The session drew Christian leaders from across Kaduna State and other parts of northern Nigeria.
Relatives of the abducted victims, many of whom were visibly emotional, attended the service as they continued to wait anxiously for updates on their loved ones. Church leaders used the gathering to urge the government and security agencies to intensify efforts to rescue all abducted persons and restore lasting peace to the area.
