In a series of separate attacks, suspected bandits have abducted 22 residents from Kugauta and Kitanda, both within Kumana Chiefdom of Kauru Local Government Area, Kaduna State.

A resident and student pastor, Emmanuel Johnson, disclosed to Daily Trust that the attacks occurred around 10:30 pm on Friday. He explained that the bandits stormed Kitanda, abducting 12 people, mainly women and children, before attacking Kugauta, where 10 more were taken.

Johnson expressed deep frustration over the persistent insecurity in the communities, lamenting that only three policemen were stationed to secure the village and nearby areas.

?Our communities are constantly under attack. People are being kidnapped daily,? he said. ?The three police officers here cannot secure us. The government must show that we, too, are Nigerians with equal rights to protection.?

He further revealed that over ?60 million had been paid in ransom to the abductors, with several residents still in captivity.

Many villagers have been forced to flee their homes due to the relentless attacks, leaving the communities in despair.

The worsening situation, he said, had compounded residents? struggles with poor infrastructure, including bad roads, lack of hospitals, and inadequate schools.

?We can?t even take our farm produce to the market because the roads are impassable,? Johnson lamented.

He urged the government to deploy more security personnel, establish police stations, and set up army Forward Operating Bases (FOBs) in strategic areas to counter the escalating threat. He also called for offensive operations to dismantle bandit camps in the region.

?These bandits have crippled our economy and pushed us further into poverty. The government must act decisively to end this hardship,? he said.

Efforts to reach the Kaduna State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Mansir Hassan, for comments were unsuccessful as calls and messages to his phone were not responded to at the time of filing this report. (Weekend Trust)

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