Suspected bandits have attacked Ehwakya village in the Ugom community, Maro Ward of Kajuru Local Government Area, Kaduna State, killing one person and abducting several residents.
The chairman of the Ugom community, Ishaya Onnusim, confirmed the incident, saying the attack resulted in the death of a youth identified as Saminu Linus Emmanuel, who was shot during the raid. He added that many residents were taken away by the assailants, including women, the elderly and other vulnerable members of the community, though the exact number of abductees has yet to be determined.
“At the time of this statement, one youth has been confirmed dead by gunshot. Our people were kidnapped in sizable numbers, including women, children and the elderly,” Onnusim said.
He said the attackers also looted valuables from homes before withdrawing from the area. According to him, the abductions occurred in Ehwakya, also known as Ungwar Sarki of Ugom community, as well as near the railway line after Gwando along the road leading to the Kufana axis.
Onnusim alleged that the attackers shouted religious slogans during the operation and boasted that security agencies could not stop them. He further claimed that the assailants warned residents to vacate their ancestral land or face continued attacks.
The community leader appealed to the government and security agencies to intervene urgently, warning that large sections of Ugom community have been overrun, forcing residents to flee without shelter.
As of the time of filing this report, the Kaduna State Police Command had yet to comment on the incident, as the command’s spokesperson, Mansir Hussaini, could not be reached.