After a lull in bandit activity, hoodlums have resumed attacks in several parts of the country. Residents of Awon in Kaduna State explained how eight students from Government Secondary School Awon in the Kachia Local Government Area were abducted on Monday. The Kaduna State Government announced on Tuesday that it had received information about the kidnapping. Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs Samuel Aruwan said the initial report, based on security agencies’ input, indicated that about ten students had been taken, but a later statement confirmed that eight students were kidnapped.
In the first statement, Aruwan noted that the exact location of the incident was still unclear and that detailed reports would determine whether the abduction occurred on school premises or elsewhere. A subsequent update clarified that the students were not taken from the school itself but were intercepted on their way home, along with other residents. The school management has provided the names and classes of the abducted pupils. Governor Nasir El‑Rufai condemned the abduction as unfortunate and assured that efforts were underway to rescue the eight students and other kidnapped citizens.
When our correspondent visited the community on Tuesday, residents reported that bandits arrived on seven motorcycles, firing sporadically into the air. They claimed that no fewer than eleven students were taken, although four managed to escape. The secondary and primary schools, as well as the local market, were deserted following the incident. One escapee, Shehu Ishaku, recounted fleeing into the bush with his classmates as soon as they saw the bandits. He was later caught in Akwndo village, beaten with the butt of a gun, and saw blood in his mouth before escaping again. Another student, Mohamed Alima, said the attack occurred around 10 a.m.; the bandits ordered the students to run, shot at those who refused to cross the road, and chased others into the bush. He managed to evade them and noted that the school remained closed that day.
Iya Tunde, a grandmother of one of the abducted students, described how her son and his friend have been searching the forest for the missing girl without success. She lamented the loss of income, the hunger her daughter now faces, and the emotional toll of the ordeal, pleading for the victims’ release.
Police spokesperson Mohammed Jalige promised to follow up on the case but had not responded by the time of this report. Meanwhile, Commissioner Aruwan announced a relaxation of the 24‑hour curfew in the Sabon Garin Nasarawa‑Tirkaniya community of Chikun LGA, citing close monitoring by security agencies. Effective Wednesday, 5 April 2023, the curfew will run from 7 pm to 7 am, allowing residents to move freely between 7 am and 7 pm, with authorities urging compliance and orderly conduct.
Beyond Kaduna, bandits unleashed mayhem in at least five states—Niger, Kaduna, Kogi, Adamawa and Bayelsa—killing scores and kidnapping at least 34 people. In Niger State, bandits who had killed seven people and abducted 26 earlier in the week attacked Mashegu LGA, killing two villagers, kidnapping two policemen and 32 villagers, and looting the Ibbi Police Station’s armory. In Kogi, gunmen attacked the Oganenugu community in Dekina LGA, killing numerous villagers, including APC ward chairman James Adah. Governor Yahaya Bello condemned the “vile and satanic” attacks as a calculated assault on peaceful residents and pledged to eliminate crisis entrepreneurs and bring perpetrators to justice. In Bayelsa, suspected assassins killed a construction worker and dumped his body along Gloryland Drive on the outskirts of Yenagoa, the state capital.
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