* Police foil kidnap attempt, rescue five victims
John Shiklam in Kaduna
Four people, including three children have been abducted by gunmen in Lalighi community, Gonin Gora area, a suburb of Kaduna metropolis.
This is coming as the state Police Command said yesterday that its operatives foiled kidnap attempt and rescued five victims.
The bandits were said to have invaded the community at about 1.15am yesterday, allegedly with the collaboration of an informant.
In a telephone interview, a resident of the area who pleaded anonymity said a member of the community vigilante group was killed while a mother, her two children and another child, aged about three, four and five years, were abducted during the attack.
He added that an elderly man was also shot on the waist and was taken to the St. Gerald Catholic Hospital, Kakuri, Kaduna, for treatment.
According to him, the security network in the community appeared to have been compromised as the bandits took the local vigilante group by surprise.
He said, “We believe very strongly that bandits were working with an insider because of the way they operated.
“They seemed to know everything about our security arrangement in the community.
“We installed a bells at particular locations and we ring them every hour in the night to indicate that the vigilante are patrolling the community.
“We have a well organised vigilante group that patrols the community every night till day break. Some of us usually accompany the vigilante members for patrol.
“The bandits came at about 1.15am and surrounded the community.
“Two of the bandits were sent into community to carry out the attack while others laid ambush around the community,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Police Command in the state said yesterday that its operatives foiled kidnap attempt and rescued five victims.
The Command Public Relations Officer, ASP Muhammad Jalige, confirmed the incident in a statement issued in Kaduna.
He said, “On March 26, at about 12:00hrs information has it that some bandits numbering 10 with sophisticated weapons blocked Kaduna to Birnin Gwari road in an attempt to kidnap five occupants of a Volkswagen Golf vehicle with Reg.No DKA 539 TU, heading towards Birnin Gwari from Kaduna.
“On receiving the report, patrol team attached to Buruku Division immediately swung into action, engaged the bandits in fierce gun duel and successfully repelled the bandits who scampered into the forest with various degrees of bullet wounds and rescued all the occupants of the vehicle safely.
“Effort is on high gear to ensure the fleeing bandits are apprehended,” he said.
The spokesman said the victims have since been reunited with their families.
Jalige also disclosed that on same March 26 a suspected arms dealer was arrested by operatives and one bandit killed, adding the command recovered eight SMG rifles, one pistol and 85 rounds of 7.62 X39mm live ammunition in Saminaka forest of Lere Local Government Area of the state.
He said investigation into the matter had been lunched and the remaining suspects confessed to be transporting the arms and ammunitions to bandits in Niger, Kaduna, Zamfara and Katsina States.
He said on the same date two suspected rustlers were arrested by detectives with 32 rustled cows and 10 sheep recovered in Ladduga village of Kachia Local Government Area of Kaduna State.
He noted that the featd were not unconnected to the renewed collaboration between the Police and communities in the areas through prompt intelligence sharing.
“The Command appreciates the awesome gesture and call on all and sundry to support the Police in that direction as it assures them of absolute confidentiality while acting on shared intelligence.
“In his effort to sustain the gains recorded so far in the fight against criminality in the state, the Commissioner of Police, Umar Muri, has charged his officers and men to work very closely with the locals to improve on the current onslaught,” Jalige said.
