Protesters in Kaduna
Residents of Danhonu II community in New Millennium City, Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State, on Monday protested at the Millennium City Divisional Police Headquarters over recurring kidnapping incidents in the area.
The protesters blocked the major access road leading to the police station, chanting and demanding urgent security intervention to halt the spate of abductions in their neighbourhood.
They said bandits struck again at about 11:30pm on Sunday, abducting seven persons from two families in the latest incident.
Those kidnapped include Malam Yahaya Yusuf, his wife, Latifat Yusuf, and their sons, Abdulgafar and Abdulqudus. Also abducted were Mrs Abdulrazak Jimoh and two of her children.
Residents said the latest incident has raised the number of kidnap cases in the small community to 11 within a few months.
They alleged that most of the attacks have targeted non-indigenes living in the area, raising suspicion of possible collaborators within the community.
The protesters called on security agencies to carry out a thorough investigation into the recurring attacks and “fish out informants aiding the criminals.”
Leader of the protest and Chairman of the Danhonu II Landlords Association, Mr Akoh Salifu, said the community could no longer live in peace.
“We are here because we can no longer live in peace. The pressure from repeated kidnapping incidents has become unbearable for us,” he said.
Salifu added that some youths attempted to trail the kidnappers into the bush after Sunday night’s attack but could not reach them.
“As law-abiding citizens, we decided to come to the police to formally register our grievances and cry out for urgent intervention to save our community,” he said.
Reacting, the Kaduna State Police Command spokesperson, DSP Mansir Hassan, said the police received a distress call late on Sunday and immediately deployed operatives to the area.
He said the police team, supported by soldiers, responded to the attack but arrived late due to poor road access and difficult terrain, allowing the bandits to escape with the victims despite an exchange of gunfire.
DSP Hassan added that the Commissioner of Police, CP Rabiu Muhammad, had visited the community and met with its leaders.
He disclosed that the Command is considering the establishment of a police outpost in Danhonu II to strengthen security and prevent further attacks.
