By SAXONE AKHAINE, Kaduna and NJADVARA MUSA, Maiduguri

• Army frees 17 abducted civilians in Borno
• Police rescue Baptist student, two others

In a fresh attack yesterday, gunmen suspected to be herdsmen, invaded communities in Zangon Kataf and killed eight persons. They also razed many houses.

Among the houses burnt down were that of the Angwai Atyap, Dominic Yahaya, and a former ECOMOG Commander, Maj-Gen. Shekari Biliyock (rtd.)

Sources told journalists that a whole village of more than 100 houses were burnt down, together with the ECWA Church and the family house of a retired General were burnt down.

“The bandits also laid ambush between Gorah Gida and Shiliam communities where they shot three people from Gorah Gida one of the victims died and two hospitalised,” the source added.

Condemning the attack, the Southern Kaduna Peoples Union (SOKAPU) noted the bandits succeeded in burning down the traditional home of the Chief of Atyap land in Zangon Kataf.

The spokesman for SOKAPU, Luka Binniyat, in an interview yesterday, stated: “They have burnt down our chief’s traditional home. That is Agwai Atyap traditional home. They burnt down his relations’ houses, killed two of his relations, and burnt four vehicles in Magamiya village.”

Binniyat said: “The latest attack is in tandem with what we have been saying that there is genocide going on in Southern Kaduna, and there is an agenda to drive us out of our ancestral homes.”

He accused the military and the Kaduna State Government of turning their back on the attacks by bandits on the people of Zangon Kataf.

Attempt to get the reaction of the Kaduna Police spokesman, Mohammed Jalige, on the latest attack was futile, as his telephone rang without response.

TROOPS of Sector 1, Operation Hadin Kai (OPHK) have rescued 17 commuters along the 132-kilometre Maiduguri/Damaturu road.

Boko Haram kidnapped the rescued civilians last Thursday at the lepers’ settlement near Auno village in Borno State.

The army spokesman stated in Maiduguri yesterday: “Our troops have rescued 17 civilians from an attempted kidnap by insurgents near Auno community in Borno.”

Similarly, of the 121 Bethel Baptist School students, kidnapped recently, the police in Kaduna have rescued one, and two other victims from kidnappers.

The police spokesman, ASP Mohammed Jalige, stated that on July 12, 2021, about 1540hrs, operatives of the command, alongside Civilian JTF on routine rescue patrol around the forest of Tsohon Gaya village of Chikun Local Council of Kaduna State, stumbled on three kidnapped victims roaming the bush extremely exhausted and weak.

“The victims were safely evacuated and rushed to Police Clinic, Kaduna, were they are being resuscitated and will subsequently be handed over to their immediate families.” (The Guardian)

Update news