Bandits Abduct Many Travellers on Birnin Gwari-Funtua Road

From John Shiklam in Kaduna

An unspecified number of people were reportedly kidnapped on Thursday along the Birnin Gwari – Funtua road in Kaduna State.

A transport union official however said the number of people abducted could be 25 or more.

The incident was said to have occurred at about 3:45pm between Kiryoyi and Maganda villages of Birnin Gwari local government area of Kaduna State.

Five vehicles carrying unspecified number of passengers were said to have been intercepted by armed bandits who ordered them out and took them into the bush.

Chairman of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) in Birnin Gwari branch, Taxi section, Danladi Duniya, said in a telephone interview that those abducted were many.

“I am not in a position to say precisely the number of people abducted, but they are many.

May be 25 or more than that. I cannot say, but all passengers in the vehicles were abducted.

“They stopped five vehicles, one of the drivers who was driving a gulf car managed to escape.

This is what we go through on the road and we are pleading with the authorities to help us address this problem.
“People cannot go to farm and they cannot travel, this is too bad,” he said.

Last week, 44 passengers travelling in five vehicles were abducted in a similar manner.
Despite an ongoing military operation codenamed “operation Idon Raini”, bandits have continued to terrorise communities and highways in Birnin Gwari.

Spokesman of the Kaduna State police command Aliyu Mukhtar could not be reached on phone for his reaction to the incident.