Bandits kill one, abduct eight children in Taraba

Eight persons have been reported abducted and another killed after suspected bandits attacked Jimlari, a community in Lau Local Government Area of Taraba State, on Saturday.

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Residents of the area told PREMIUM TIMES that the attack happened late Saturday night from about 11:30 p.m. and that the kidnapped victims were all children.

A resident, Ibrahim Hassan, said the attackers arrived in the community in a large number, shooting sporadically.

“We were caught off guard. They were shooting indiscriminately, and because of their sophisticated weapons, we couldn’t mobilise to confront them,” Mr Hassan said.

Another resident said his relative was among the abducted persons.

The residents who did not want their name mentioned said the victims were children between the ages of seven and 12 years.

They appealed to the government to rescue the abducted victims and also prevent a recurrence of the incident in the community.

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The police spokesperson in Taraba State, Abdullahi Usman, confirmed the abductions to PREMIUM TIMES on Sunday.

Mr Usman, a superintendent of police, said the police and other security agencies were working to ensure that the abducted persons are freed unhurt.

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“Security forces, including the police, military, and other agencies, have been deployed to the area,” he said.

This fresh attack came days after troops of 6 Brigade Nigerian Army/Sector 3 of Operation Whirl Stroke (OPWS), arrested a suspected member of the Boko Haram terrorist group, identified as Gambo Grema, also known as Gamboi, in Mai-Hula, Bali Local Government Area of the state.

According to other security sources, the suspect said under interrogation that his group kidnapped for ransom to finance its operations and to establish a cell in the state.

The suspect further revealed that the syndicate also harbored members of the Islamic State In West Africa Province (ISWAP) deployed from the Timbuktu Triangle to Nigeria.