Many abducted as bandits kill 4 including NYSC member in Kaduna

Bandits have killed four residents in Southern Kaduna, Kaduna State, between Tuesday and Thursday.

This was confirmed by Sebastian Yakubu, a local in Kachia town, to Sahara Reporters.

He stated that bandits ambushed a vehicle carrying passengers from Awon village to Kachia town headquarters on Thursday evening.

According to him, the bandits ambushed a commercial vehicle, killing the driver, Ibrahim Makama, and one Jonathan Jeremiah, who had just finished his National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) programme.

“They kidnapped some of the passengers in other vehicles while others escaped by sheer luck,” he said.

“On Tuesday, they killed one of our community farmers in the same Awon village and one other local from the Ankwa area, whom they kidnapped and demanded ransom, yet they killed him afterward.”

“As we speak, there’s one retired security officer who is still with them after being kidnapped in the area over two months ago, yet our people are not talking, and radio and newspaper journalists are paid to be quiet,” he added.

The latest attacks comes amid growing frustration from communities who feel abandoned and underrepresented in the media. Residents, like Yakubu, have accused local media of being “paid to be quiet” about the crisis.

Earlier reports from the Kachia Local Government Area echoed these sentiments, where communities detailed persistent bandit attacks and kidnappings that receive little national attention.

In a statement signed by Rev. Fr. Agbo Gabriel on behalf of the residents, the community lamented a pervasive sense of abandonment, citing a devastating attack on Wakeh village on Sunday, September 7, 2025, which left eight people dead, several injured, and homes burned. Other communities, including Bishini and Katari, have also been repeatedly targeted.

Meanwhile, the Kaduna State government, in collaboration with federal agencies, launched what it called the “Kaduna Model,” a holistic peace initiative aimed at addressing both the symptoms and root causes of insecurity.

The pact involved direct engagement with notorious bandit leaders operating in areas like Birnin Gwari and Giwa.

These were not petty criminals; they were warlords like Yellow Jambros and Dogo Gide, men accused of mass killings, kidnappings, and extortion across Kaduna and neighboring states.

Critics have voiced concern over the peace pact, describing it as the wrong approach to tackling terrorism and banditry.