Anguish, as gunmen raid Kaduna village, sieze students

It was a rainy Tuesday morning when gunmen stormed Damba-Kasaya Village in Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State.

It was around 8:30am and many residents were indoors due to the rain.

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Some children had left for the community’s only private school to revise for their Junior Secondary School examination.

The gunmen took advantage of the rain to sneak into Damba-Kasaya through the bushy path and maize fields that surround clustered homes in the community.

Prince Academy, an old private school that has become the pride of the village, was an easy target.

The school’s unsecured surroundings flanking the bushy area made it vulnerable.

Because it was also a distance from the residential area, the gunmen pounced on it, carefully executing their operation without much attention of the residents.

Though a private school, Prince Academy appeared dilapidated, desolate and could easily pass for any of Nigeria’s shabby government schools.

The youth leader in Damba-Kasaya, Akila Luka Barde, told Daily Trust Saturday that when the gunmen surrounded the school, the children were going through revision lessons with a female teacher and so they rounded them up and began to flee with them on motorcycles.

In the process, they attacked the Aminchi Baptist Church which they looted and set on fire.

“It was after they abducted the children and their teacher that they came into the community and began to shoot indiscriminately while others ransacked homes and set them ablaze,” he said.

Before long, Barde said there was confusion in Damba-Kasaya as many began to flee from their homes in search of safety.

“They killed Benjamin Auta, a farmer, during the shooting and on noticing that they had abducted children, residents of the community began to wail as they followed the fleeing gunmen.”

Not minding the consequences, Akila said residents trooped out and began chasing the kidnappers, forcing them to release three of the children.

They then quickly disappeared into the bush with six children, a teacher and and Bala Hassan, a farmer.

On April 23, there was an attack on the village but no one was killed or abducted, said the community’s head butcher, Lado Maisamari.

He said the attackers had four months ago set houses, cars and motorcycles ablaze during a raid.

When they returned on Monday, they carefully mapped out their plan, Maisamari further said.

“You know the person coming to attack you is more prepared, they took us unawares,” he said.

Maisamari said though his children were not abducted, the gunmen ransacked his home, took N50, 000 and burned his car.

He said Bala Hassan, the abducted farmer, escaped the following day, and those abducted include Happy Waziri, 16, Ezra Bako, 15, Miracle Danjuma, 15, Favour Danjuma, 4 and their teacher, Christiana Madugu.

– Life has no meaning — Alheri Benjamin –

Alheri Benjamin Auta said she had almost reached her breaking point following the killing of her husband, Benjamin Auta, on Monday by the gunmen.

The nursing mother told Daily Trust Saturday that life no longer had any meaning to her.

A day after the attack when our correspondent called to speak with her, sympathisers converged to condole and grieve with her in the home she once shared with her husband, Benjamin; the first victim of the attack.

Amidst sobs, she said: “I was in the room with the kids when the gunmen came.

“My husband was outside, not far from our compound.

“We heard gunshots and immediately there was commotion, I heard people screaming and I was confused.”

Clutching her two-year-old baby, Alheri said she remained in the room but a few minutes later, her world turned upside down when the blood soaked remains of her husband was brought to her.

“His body was brought to us, they said he was shot dead.

“I became speechless and confused because he just stepped outside while I was lying inside the room with the children.

“My life has been ruined,” she said.

She narrated how her uncle was killed while at his farm a week before their village was attacked.

“Just a day after my husband died in the attack, my only surviving brother had also died after a brief illness.

“I am now a complete orphan because my parents are already dead, my only uncle has died and my husband and brother are also gone within a month.

“I don’t know what to do,” she said.

– Gunmen contact families, reign insults –

One of the kidnapped children, Ezra Bako and his family had relocated from Dakwala, a village in Chikun Local Government Area after it was attacked by gunmen a few months ago, our correspondents learnt.

According to Odoji Isiaka, whose 16-year-old daughter, Happy, was also seized, the gunmen have made contact but are yet to demand ransom.

Isiaka, the Wazirin Kasaya, said the children were invited for revision classes and Happy, who has five siblings, gladly went to the school.

One of the students, he said, went along with her four year old sister who was equally kidnapped.

“All I have now is prayers,” he said, adding, “They called to tell us that our children were with them on Tuesday evening.

“They haven’t told us if we are to pay ransom or not but they insulted us.

“What are we to do but to apologise?

“Imagine someone abducts your child and all you can do is to apologise to him.”

He said it was unfortunate that the gunmen  capitalised on the fact that the school was unfenced and located near the forest to attack it first.

Isiaka who was barely audible said Christiana Madugu, the teacher who was  abducted, is a resident of the community and is passionate about assisting children in their academics.

With a population of more than 1,000 adults, Damba-Kasaya is a large community in separate clusters said Isiaka who stressed that what affects one, affects the other, which was why the entire community converged at the home of the late Banjamin Auta to console his wife and two children.

– Police mum days after attack –

The Kaduna State Police Command has  remained silent days after the attack.

The spokesman, ASP Mohammed Jalige, asked for time to verify the report from the DPO in charge of the area.

He did not respond to several calls on the matter before press time.

Chikun Local Government Area has boundaries with Birnin Gwari, Igabi, Kaduna South, Kauru and Kachia LGAs where the activities of bandits have led many to flee their communities.

In June, Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, said security had become a major concern for farmers in the state, especially in Chikun, Birnin Gwari, Igabi, Giwa and Kajuru.

El-Rufai maintained that his government will not negotiate with bandits and called on security agents to wipe them out.