Bandits are believed to have invaded and attacked Zira village in Bauchi State’s Toro Local Government Area, kidnapping the village head, Yahaya Abubakar, and his son Habibu.
According to reports, the incident occurred just 24 hours after suspected bandits attacked Tudun Wadan Jada village in the state’s Alkaleri Local Government Area, killing four people and injuring three others.
Bala Mohammed, the governor of Bauchi State, is from the Alkaleri Local Government Area.
The gunmen had invaded the Governor’s village with the intention of kidnapping the village head and other villagers, but the village head raised an alarm and the youths from the village and surrounding villages were said to immediately mobilise themselves and resisted them and they were unable to go with the abducted people.
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But the suspected bandits, seeing that their mission had failed, then opened fire on the large number of the youths that resisted them and killed four of them, while three sustained varying degrees of injuries.
Confirming the recent incident at Zira village in the Toro Local Government Area, the District Head of Lame, Aliyu Lame, said it happened on Saturday night and that the kidnappers of the village head and his son were yet to contact the family.
He said: “Yes, it is true that the village Head of Zira and his son were abducted last Saturday by bandits.
“They (captors) are yet to contact the family of the victims. It’s time for the Federal Government to look into what is happening, particularly in Northern Nigeria.”
The Bauchi State Police Command confirmed the incident to journalists on Monday with an assurance that the kidnappers would be apprehended soon and those abducted rescued.
The Command’s Public Relations Officer, Ahmed Wakil, a Superintendent of Police, stated this in a telephone interview with journalists.
“The bandits went to the village which is under (the) Rishi Police Division, a border village with Plateau State, around 2am last Saturday and kidnapped the village Head, Saleh Abubakar, and his son, Habibu Saleh.
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“The Command has since dispatched a team of detectives and other police officers to rescue the victims and presently our men are combing the bush in search of the abducted victims. We assure residents that the abducted persons shall soon be rescued.”
Wakil said that the Commissioner of Police, Umar Sanda, has urged the public to remain calm and go about their normal businesses and report any suspicious characters as police are doing everything possible to rescue the victims.
It was also reported that a former Secretary of the Nigeria Football Federation, Alhaji Sani Toro, former Assistant Coach of the Nigeria Super Eagles, Garba Yila, and one of their friends, Alhaji Isa Jah, were kidnapped on Saturday evening while returning to Bauchi from Abuja.
They were reportedly kidnapped in a village around Akwanga in Nasarawa State at about 7.30pm after attending the wedding of the son of former NFF President, Aminu Maigari, which took place in Abuja on Saturday.
