CHIKUN ABDUCTION: "I DON’T KNOW IF MY 9-YEAR-OLD SON HAS EATEN," MOTHER CRIES OUT. (PHOTO).

Chikun Abduction: "I Don’t Know If My 9-Year-Old Son Has Eaten," Mother Cries Out

Bandits have attacked Angwan Waziri, Karji and nearby Babban Saura communities in the Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State, killing one person and abducting an unspecified number of residents.

Among those reportedly taken are a nine-year-old boy and his uncle.

One of the victims, Linda Nzekwe, told LEADERSHIP on Friday that the attackers stormed her home around 12:05 a.m., first destroying the security lights before trying to force their way through the main entrance.

Nzekwe said the attackers, whom she heard speaking Fulani, eventually broke through a wall of the dining room after failing to gain access through the door.

She said the assailants assaulted members of her family before taking away her nine-year-old son and younger brother.

According to her, her son was taken without clothes or shoes, and she has since been unable to determine where he is or whether he has had anything to eat.

“I don’t know if my son has eaten. I can’t eat. Please God, I don’t know if my son has eaten,” she said.

Nzekwe said she made several calls for assistance, including contacting the police, while the attackers were forcing their way into the house.

She added that the assailants also entered the section of the house occupied by her parents, ordered them to lie on the floor and demanded money.

Another resident, Andrew Mshelia, said the attack started shortly after 12:05 a.m., after a neighbour alerted him that armed men had entered parts of the community.

Mshelia said he later heard gunshots and escaped into the bush with members of his family, narrowly avoiding the attackers.

He explained that the assailants moved on foot from one community to another, breaking into homes and abducting residents.

According to him, a man identified as Sikiru was killed in one of the neighbouring communities, while an undetermined number of people were abducted.

Mshelia said the exact number of victims was difficult to establish because the attackers reportedly entered several homes and took away multiple members of families.

He added that some residents who encountered the attackers while trying to escape were also reportedly abducted.

Residents have appealed to the government for urgent intervention, saying the communities have continued to suffer attacks by bandits and calling for stronger measures to protect lives and property.