Bandits have chased away some farmers from their farms at Unguwar Jibo and Nasarawa communities in Kachia LGA of Kaduna State.
A community leader, who confirmed the incident through telephone to our reporter on Tuesday, under the condition of anonymity, said the incident occurred on Monday when some farmers from the two communities were cultivating their farms.
He said the bandits, who wore army uniforms and wielding AK-47 rifles in their numbers, ordered the farmers to leave the farms or they get killed.
According to him, the bandits accused the farmers from the two communities of giving information to the troops about their movement and location.
He said, “It was in the evening when two of my palace aides, who were among the farmers working on their farmlands came to inform me that the bandits complained that the farmers were behind giving out information to troops of their movement.” A farmer, who spoke with our reporter through the community leader’s phone, said two of his sons were missing when the bandits invaded his farm shooting into the air and asking the farmers to vacate their farms.
He said the incident had thrown the two communities into confusion as a majority of the farmers were unable to go to their farms since that Monday.
He called on security agents to come to the aid of the people of the two communities.
He said, “Though, I learnt this morning that three people who escaped from their farms were sighted at the neighbouring Azzara village and I am making arrangements to visit the community.”
Meanwhile, two suspected bandits’ informants were reportedly shot dead near Maraban Bishini in the area.
A vigilante, who preferred anonymity alleged that the two informants were conveying foodstuffs and drugs on motorcycles to the bandits when the troops gave them a hot chase.
He said, “Upon sighting the troops, the suspected informants abandoned their motorcycle and ran into the bush but the troops immediately opened fire on them on the spot.” he said.
The Kaduna State Police Command spokesman, SP Hassan Mansur, is yet to confirm the incident as a text message sent to him was not replied to at the time of filing the report.