No fewer than 24 travellers have been abducted as bandits blocked the Gusau-Sokoto highway.
The bandits blocked the road around Kwaren Kirya village under Maru Local Government Area of Zamfara State on Tuesday and abducted all the passengers from a Toyota 18 seater bus and a Volkswagen golf vehicle.
A resident of the area who pleaded anonymity for security reasons told Channels Television that the situation is getting worrisome as the bandits now block the road daily.
He stated “As I’m talking to you now, about 30 minutes ago, these bandits have blocked another side of the road. They cleared the passengers of an 18 seater bus and a golf, the situation is worrisome because it has become an everyday thing for these people to be blocking the road,” the source said.
He expressed concern about a village called Balge along the highway which he claimed harbors suspected bandits.
The source appealed to the government to deploy security outposts around the area to checkmate the activities of the criminals
“There is a village when you pass that Kwaren Kirya called Balge, about 80% of settlers in that village are bandits,” the source added.
“There was a time they were chased out of the place but a majority of the people there were bandits. We just need government to help us and station military around the area.”
Police authorities in the state are yet to comment on the latest incident.
In a related development, troops of the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) have apprehended a 35-year-old “high-profile kidnapper known as Isah Abdul” in Durbunde in the Takai Local Government Area (LGA) of Kano State.
In a statement on Tuesday, NAF spokesman, Edward Gabkwet, said the arrest was carried out on Monday evening.
He said the operation followed credible intelligence on the hideout of the notorious kidnapper and his boys allegedly responsible for several kidnapping incidences in the area.
“Preliminary investigation has since revealed that Isah Abdul and his gang were responsible for the abduction of one Yakubu Ibrahim Tagaho, popularly known as “Sarkin Noman Gaya,” on 6 April 2023, from his residence in Tagaho Village in Takai Local Government Area,” Gabkwet said in the statement.
“The victim was, however, released a month later after a ransom of N30,000,000=00 was collected.
“In December 2023, the same criminal abducted 2 sisters and 3 others in the same village and released them after collecting a huge ransom.
“He is also responsible for several other kidnapping activities as he has strong ties to other known kidnapping gangs like the Danbul Fulaku gang that also operates in Takai LGA.”
Gabkwet said the suspect has since been in NAF custody while undergoing investigations and “will soon be handed over to appropriate authorities for further proceedings”.
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