Gunmen raid Kaduna community, kidnap nursing mother

Gunmen on Tuesday stormed Rigasa Community of Igabi Local Government Area of Kaduna state and abducted a nursing mother.

PREMIUM TIMES gathered that the gunmen arrived in the community at about 2 a.m. and went from house to house picking their victims.

Three other young women were alleged to have also been abducted but the police said all the victims apart from the nursing mother had been rescued.

The husband of the nursing mother who identified himself simply as Ibrahim said the kidnappers left their infant child and took the mother away.

“The infant is with our neighbour together with my other children, but my wife is still with the kidnappers,” he said.

He narrated that he escaped from the house when he heard gunshots in front of his residence that night.

Another young woman who identified herself as Fatima explained how she also escaped abduction.

“They came into our house and collected my aunty’s phone. One of them asked me to come with them. He asked me if I had money but I told him no. Then he asked if I’m into any business; when I told him no, he slapped me because I was pleading with them to let me go.

“Later the police arrived, and they started exchanging gunfire, so I ran back into the house. That was how I escaped from them,” she said.

Another resident said the gunmen took away N450,000 from his house.

“They took away my money after they were told I was not in the house. They ransacked everywhere searching for me, in the process they got the money,” he said.

The State Police Command Public Relations Officer, Yakubu Sabo, confirmed the incident.

He, however, said only one person was abducted. He said a second person escaped while the police rescued four others.

“The incident happened around 2 a.m on Tuesday. Our patrol team from Rigasa responded to a distress call after hearing gunshots.

“They (police) engaged the hoodlums in a fire duel and were able to rescue some of the people that were initially abducted by the hoodlums; about four of them.

“Some of the hoodlums escaped with gunshot wounds. We were later informed that a man who was among those rescued couldn’t find his wife.

“We thought she had escaped through the night but it was later established that she might have been taken away after one of the two missing people was found and said the woman is with them ( kidnappers).

“So officially within the Rigasa axis and based on that incident, it was only one woman that was not seen.

“The Police have dispatched a general search team to see how we can rescue the woman and also to apprehend the attackers,” he said.