Breaking News: Church set ablaze as gunmen abduct Students in Kaduna

By Steven Kefas

Armed gunmen suspected to be Fulani Herdsmen Militias earlier today invaded Prince Academy Damba-Kasaya in Kunai Ward of Chikun Local government area of Kaduna State, North West Nigeria.

The Gunmen, riding on motorcycles arrived the community at about 7:45am and operated for about 45 minutes shooting sporadically into the air while abducting yet to be identified number of students who had gathered to write the Junior School Certificate Examination (JSCE) alongside some villagers, an eyewitness told Wardesk News reporter.

A villager, Mr Bawa Wakili who confirmed the sad incident to Wardesk reporter, said he was riding on a motorcycle when he sighted the gunmen from afar approaching the community and quickly raised alarm, he said the gunmen went straight to the school and cart away with some students before abducting some villagers.

Mr Wakili said a Church Aminchi Baptist Church Damba-Kasaya was set ablaze by the gunmen. He said some villagers were also abducted alongside the students.

As at the time of filing this report one person was confirmed killed while others sustained gunshots injuries.

The Gunmen suspected to be Fulani Herdsmen Militias also went away with some mortocyles belonging to the villagers.

“When the attack started, the military came in and were even trailing the attackers but withdrew along the way for reasons best known to them, leaving us to our fate”. A youth leader who prefers to be anonymous revealed.

The Federal government had only recently reopened schools across the country to enable graduating students in secondary schools seat for their final exams. This prompted the reopening of schools in Kaduna state.

Chikun Local government has come under series of fulani herdsmen attacks lately with several people either kidnapped for ransom or killed and many communities have been displaced.

Kaduna state has been on the news since 2015 as the headquarter of kidnappings and banditry where no fewer than 366 villagers have been killed between January and July 2020 alone, according to Amnesty International.

The Kaduna state government has been widely criticized for what many believed to be poor handling of the lingering security challenges in the state, resulting in his withdrawal from the NBA AGC recently, as even under 24 hours imposed curfew the Militias have continued to carry out deadly attacks unabated in the Southern parts of the state.