Gunmen suspected to be bandits have attacked the Keke community in Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State, and abducted, at least, 18 residents.
It was learnt that the incident occurred early hours of yesterday when the assailants invaded the area.
According to reports, the gunmen numbering about 20, stormed the area at about 12am with sophisticated weapons, shooting sporadically before whisking the victims away.
The eyewitness, who gave his name as Ibrahim, said the bandits came through a neighbouring community, and started shooting sporadically as soon they stormed, “our community and they blocked the major road thereby preventing residents to escape and helpers to come in to assist us.
“The bandits started moving from house to house, chasing the people out of their houses. At the end, we noticed that 18 people were abducted and taken to an unknown destination”, the eyewitness said.
Ibrahim said most of the victims abducted were women and children, saying “we have lodged formal complaint to the police and they have come to survey the area”.
He recalled that the latest abductions come two years after the last mass abductions in the community.
As of the time of this report, neither the police nor the Kaduna State Ministry of Internal Security had made a statement on the reported incident.
When contacted, the state Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Mohammed Jalige, said he would inquire about the incident, and revert.
It would be recalled that Kaduna has been one of the worst-hit states in the north in terms of the kidnapping of students and other residents.