By John Shiklam in Kaduna
A member of the Kaduna State House of Assembly, Rilwanu Gadagau, and one other person have been killed by bandits along the Kaduna-Zaria highway.
The hoodlums also abducted several travellers during the attack which occurred on Monday night.
It was learnt that corpses of the lawmaker and the other victim whose identity was not immediately known, were recovered in the bush by security personnel and taken to the morgue.
Until the unfortunate incident, Gadagau who represented Giwa West Constituency,
was the chairman, House Committee on Local Government and Rural Development.
The Clerk of the Kaduna State House of Assembly, Bello Zubairu, confirmed the incident to journalists on Wednesday in Kaduna.
It was learnt that many travellers along the highway were abducted by the bandits.
Spokesman of the Kaduna state police command, Mohammad Jalige, did not respond to telephone calls when contacted.
Meanwhile, the Speaker of the State House Assembly, Yusuf Zailani, has lamented the killing of the lawmaker, describing it as “tragic and painful.”
In a statement on Wednesday in Kaduna by his Special Assistant, Media and Publicity, Ibrahim Danfulan, the speaker said the remains of the lawmaker was discovered in a morgue on Wednesday, among those killed by bandits on Monday night along Kaduna-Zaria Highway.
“He died during bandits attack along Zaria highway. This is tragic and painful. We are in deep grief over this sad incident.
“Our prayers at this time goes to his immediate family. Honourable Gadagau was a young and dynamic lawmaker, who had a passion for his constituency, state, and Nigeria. We will miss his vibrant contributions,” the statement said.
The speaker expressed condolences with the families of the lawmaker and others who were killed during the attack.
“Our hearts also go out to those kidnapped in same operation, believing that they would be rescued by security operatives as soon as possible,” he said.
