Bandits Invade Church, Kill One, Abduct Five in Kaduna

By John Shiklam

Bandits have attacked worshipers at Haske Baptist Church, Manini community, Chukun Local Government Area of Kaduna State, killing a medical doctor, while five people were abducted.

An eyewitness, Jacob Bala, said in a telephone interview that the bandits stormed the church at about 9am on Sunday when service was going on and opened fire on worshippers.

According to him, the bandits were many and were riding on motorcycles with sophisticated arms.

Bala said his uncle, Dr. Zakariya Dogonyaro, a member of staff of the Kaduna State Ministry of Health, was shot dead by the bandits.

He added that five other people, including three of his relations were abducted by the gunmen.

He said: “Church service was going on when herdsmen just came and surrounded the church and started shooting.

“The came at about 9am. They were many and they were riding on motorcycles. They started shooting indiscriminately as we scampered for safety.

“My uncle, Dr. Zakariya Dogonyaro, was killed instantly. He works with the Kaduna State Ministry of Health. They shot him and he died on the spot.

“They kidnapped five people, including my late brother’s wife, my step mother, my elder brother’s daughter and two other people.”

The spokesman of the Kaduna State Police Command, Mohammad Jalige, did not respond to telephone calls when contacted.

Kaduna State has been under intense attacks by bandits despite efforts by security agencies to contain the bandits.

Almost on a daily bases, bandits invade communities and schools, killing people and abducting others.

Last Tuesday, the bandits invaded Greenfield University, a private institution located off the Kaduna-Abuja road, and abducted a yet-to-be-disclosed number of students.

Three of the abducted students were later killed by the criminals.

A General Hospital in Idon, Kajuru Local Government Area was also attacked by 1am on Thursday and two nurses working in the hospital were abducted.

On March 11, the bandits broke into the Federal School of Forestry Mechanization, Afaka, Kaduna, and abducted 39 students.

Sources among the parents of the abducted students said
N17 million was paid for the release of all the students, but the bandits later reneged on the agreement reached with the parents, saying the money was too small and released only 10 of the students while 29 are still in captivity.

The state Governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, has vowed that he will neither negotiate nor pay ransom to bandits, declaring that the criminals are undermining the sovereignty of Nigeria and deserves to be completely eliminated.