Suspected bandits have abducted the Chief Imam of Janjala Central Mosque, Malam Bello Abdullahi, the Fulani community leader Alhaji Shehu Bello, and a woman during coordinated raids on several villages in Kagarko Local Government Area of Kaduna State.
The attacks targeted Iddo, Gidan-Makeri, Kohoto, and Janjala communities, where the gunmen also rustled cattle and forced many residents to flee their homes in panic.
A security source, @DanKatsina50, disclosed the abductions on X (formerly Twitter) on Saturday morning, confirming that the Chief Imam and Fulani leader were among those taken.
A community leader, speaking anonymously for security reasons, said the latest assault occurred on Tuesday night around 9:00 pm.
“The bandits came in large numbers, heavily armed with AK-47 rifles,” the source recounted. “They first went straight to the house of the Chief Imam and took him away. From there, they moved to the house of the Fulani leader. That was when people started running for their lives.”
The attackers also abducted a woman during the raid and rustled several cattle.
Following the invasion, residents—particularly from Kohoto—abandoned their villages en masse, fleeing to Kagarko town and neighbouring Sabon-Wuse for safety.
“The panic was total. Once people heard that the Imam and the Fulani leader had been taken, everyone knew the situation had completely collapsed,” the community leader said. “Many families slept in the bush that night before finding their way to Kagarko and Sabon-Wuse.”
The abductions reportedly came just days after the bandits issued a seven-day ultimatum demanding ₦6 million ransom for the release of a woman and her four children kidnapped earlier. Community leaders said the deadline passed without any rescue operation or visible security response, after which the attackers returned with renewed aggression.
“We made several distress calls to the police, the military and other security agencies, but there was no meaningful response,” one resident reportedly said. “Now they have taken our religious and community leaders. We are completely exposed.”
Kagarko LGA, a strategic corridor linking southern Kaduna to Niger State, has faced repeated bandit attacks in recent years, including mass abductions, killings, and cattle rustling, despite official claims of improved security.
As of press time, neither the Kaduna State Police Command nor the state government had issued an official statement on the latest abductions.
Residents described the situation as dire, with villages deserted, farmlands abandoned, and economic activities paralyzed amid spreading fear.
“With our leaders abducted, our villages emptied and our cries ignored, we don’t know who will protect us,” a displaced resident said. “If nothing is done urgently, more lives will be lost.”
Community members are calling on the federal and Kaduna State governments to immediately deploy security forces, secure the release of the abducted victims, and prevent further attacks on already traumatized rural areas.
