Bandits abduct 70 traders in Kaduna, set Katsina motorist ablaze

Many traders numbering over 70 travelling to Kano have been abducted along the dreaded Birnin Gwari-Kaduna road.

This came as another group of bandits set a man ablaze in his car in Katsina community, two weeks after the burning alive of passengers in Sokoto State.

The traders’ convoy in Kaduna was reportedly attacked by the bandits in the morning, who later took them away into the forests.

Daily Trust quoted a local, Malam Umaru, as saying the traders were travelling in a convoy of over 20 vehicles with a police escort.

According to him, the bandits struck on a bend near Udawa after Buruku, abducting no fewer than 70 traders from Umaru’s community and scores of others from neighboring villages.

He said in Hausa language that calls made to the phone numbers of some of the missing traders were answered by the bandits.

Meanwhile, bandits have set a male motorist on fire in the Fasakari Local Government Area of Katsina State.

Deputy Speaker of Katsina State House of Assembly, who is the member representing Faskari constituency, said the victim was burnt alive in his car.

He told Daily Trust that the incident is one of the four attacks recorded in the area within a week.

The lawmaker said some other persons were killed while others were abducted.

“They attacked Kwakware village where they abducted 17 people, mostly women. The following day, the stopped a driver, killed and burnt him in his car.

“Only yesterday, Tuesday, they killed seven people and abducted five, and the place where the attacks took place was just a short distance from a military checkpoint,” he said.

Last week, Governor Bello Masari led some elders to President Muhammadu Buhari over the killings in the state.

The President had said efforts were being made to address the insecurity in the North West and other parts of the country.