Gunmen have killed three persons and abducted five girls and a leader of a vigilante group in Jalingo, Taraba State.
The incident occurred Saturday and Monday nights at different locations in the metropolis.
It was learnt that a resident and a mobile policeman were killed midnight at Lasandi, BabaYau and Sabongari.
Similarly, the vigilante leader, identified as Bashir and five girls, were abducted by gunmen around 1.30am at Saminaka Junction on Monday night.
The gunmen on motorcycles reportedly invaded the area and shot in different directions before gaining entrance into the resident of the vigilante leader.
The area is located around Kwando forest in Ardo-Kola Local Government Area of the state where 20 persons were abducted and four others, including the chairman of the local government had been killed by gunmen in the last few months.
Residents interviewed said they now lived in fear because of high rate of attacks by gunmen.
One of them, Musa Garba, said, “I’m sleeping with one eye open because nobody knows which area or house the gunmen would attack next.”
The spokesperson of the state police command, Usman Abdullahi, could not be reached for comment on the attacks.
Also, bandits Monday night killed at least three persons at four villages in Funtua Local Government Area of Katsina State.
They invaded Yartafki village along the Funtua-Zaria Road around 11:00pm and abducted one Malam Bala Magaji, principal of Government Junior Secondary School Makera, Funtua.
One of his relatives said the bandits entered Unguwar Isiyaka village at about 11:15pm and started shooting sporadically, killing three young men.
“The attacks in the four villages took place almost simultaneously; they killed Samaila Badamasi 40, Malam Abdulkadir Adamu 35 and Naziru Tasi’u 25. They abducted eight people, including my elder brother and our Ward head Maiunguwa Kabiru,” he said.
In a related development, 36 residents of Keke B Community in Millennium City, Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State, were kidnapped Monday night.
An eyewitness said the bandits, who operated unchallenged, moved from house to house.
Muhammad Salihu, a resident, said: “Many of us were still outside when the bandits attacked because it was quite early, around 8.30pm. They came in a large number, shooting sporadically and brandishing weapons.
“The broke into people’s houses one after the other and kidnapped the occupants. One person, a motorcycle mechanic, was able to escape from the kidnappers, but they went away with 36 residents.”
There was no official comment from security authorities at the time of this report. Efforts made to reach Mohammed Jalige, police spokesman in Kaduna, did not yield result as his line was switched off.
A month ago, seven residents of the same community, including a man, his wife and their housemaids, were abducted.
From Magaji Hunkuyi (Jalingo), Maryam Ahmadu-Suka (Kaduna), Tijjani Ibrahim & Mahmoud Idris (Katsina)
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