In Kaduna’s latest bandit attack, a significant number of bandits invaded Danhonu community in Millennium City, Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State on Saturday night. They abducted Alhaji AbdulGafar Alabelewe, a reporter for The Nation newspaper and current chairman of the Correspondents Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Kaduna State Council, along with his wife and two children. AbdulRaheem Aodu, a reporter for Blueprint Newspaper, and his wife were also taken.
According to Taofeeq Olayemi, a family member, the attack occurred around 10:30 pm. “Initially, they took Alhaji AbdulGafar, his wife, three children, and a girl staying with them,” Olayemi explained. “Later, they instructed the girl to return with one child, leaving with AbdulGafar, his wife, and two children.”
The bandits forcibly entered homes by breaking doors and windows and removing burglar bars after scaling fences. Olayemi, who lives near the victims, recounted, “Around 10:30 pm, they arrived and started shooting randomly. They broke into Aodu’s house first, taking him and his wife while leaving their sick daughter.”
“They then entered AbdulGafar’s house by jumping over the fence,” Olayemi continued. “They immediately headed to his bedroom, took him, his wife, and two children, and left promptly. Shortly after, vigilantes arrived and fired shots into the air.”
The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), ASP Mansir Hassan, was unavailable for comment at the time of this report.
This incident adds to the growing concerns over insecurity in Kaduna State, where banditry and kidnapping have become rampant. The abduction of journalists and their families highlights the vulnerability faced by media professionals and ordinary citizens alike in the region.
