Kaduna bandits attack: 9 children, 13 adults feared killed

Sola Ojo, Kaduna

Emerging information from Bakali, a village in Giwa local government area of Kaduna State revealed that 22 people including nine children and 13 adults lost their lives when the angry bandits came calling on the agrarian community on Tuesday.

A source from the village told our corresspondent that, nine children, three housewives, nine adults and one aged man which included Aisha Musa, Hassana Musa, Ahmed Musa, Fatimah Musa, Umukhair Ahmed, Aisha Ahmed, Nana Ahmed, Amina Musa, Fatimah Musa, Hussein Ibrahim, Abdullahi Inusa, Bello Musa.

An earlier report claimed that a family of 16, who ran to their house for safety, were locked up in a room and set on fire leading to their death when angry bandits launched coordinated attacks on their ancestral home.

The bandits in their numbers, according to eyewitness account invaded Bakali village, Fatika District in Giwa Local Government Area of Kaduna State on Tuesday’s evening, razed all they could including farm produce, vehicles and motorcycles among others.

In what appeared to be revenge following resistance by the local vigilante groups in the village, after setting ablaze about 385 bags of assorted farm produce and property, the bandits locked up the unfortunate family members in a room and set the house on fire and stood guard to prevent anyone from escaping.

A source within the community, Alhaji Sani Bakali, told a news medium that over 100 bandits laid siege to the village unchallenged before they finally dispersed.

However, the Kaduna State police command is yet to make any official statement in relation to the development.

But, thevmember representing Giwa federal constituency, Shehu Balarabe Giwa, expressed worried over the gruesome murder of his subjects by bandits, and called on humanitarian agencies to come to the aid of survivors of the attacks.

Balarabe,  on Wednesday raised the issue at the floor of the House of Representatives Representative saying  “the most recent activities of these bandits, last week in Randagi and Kakangi wards in Birnin Gwari Local Government Area, where they invaded and killed 12 people, injured over 100 persons; they kidnapped a lot of persons and burnt down several houses.

“Just yesterday, they invaded Bakali village in Kidandan ward, Giwa Local Government Area and killed over 20 persons and burnt several cars. Worst of all, they went ahead to burn alive, people who ran into their houses for safety, right in their homes.

“We are concerned that the situation have negatively impacted on agricultural and economic activities in the affected wards, resulting in joblessness, hunger, epidemic and untold hardship on the people, who are mostly seeking refuge in public primary schools and the homes of their relatives, within and outside the state,” he lamented.

The people of Giwa local government are mainly peasant farmers, cattle rearers and livestock production.

The local council is bounded in the North by Funtua Local Government Area in Katsina State, while in the west by Birnin Gwari and Igabi local government areas of Kaduna State as well as Dandume and Sabuwa local governments in Katsina State.