Customs officer, son, eight others abducted in fresh Kaduna attack

A customs officer, Muawiyya Gambo Turaki, his son and nine others have been abducted in Kofar Gayan low-cost, Zaria, Kaduna State.

The gunmen were said to have invaded the area around 9.00pm on Wednesday.

This is the second time bandits would invade Kofar Gayan low-cost and abduct people.

Sometime last year, the bandits invaded the neighborhood and abducted the wife of another customs officer and a woman but released them after N15m ransom was paid.

Daily Trust quoted the ward head of the area, Muhammadu Nazifi, as saying, “Those kidnapped include his son, Jamalu, Muawiyya Gambo Turaki, a customs officer, who arrived home from his duty post just yesterday and his son Khalifa.”

He added, “They also kidnapped a woman, Jamila Usman and another boy also called Khalifah.

“However, about four of them later escaped and returned back.”

Also speaking one of the escapees, Yushau Isah, said about four of them managed to escaped after trekking with the bandits for about five kilometers into the bush.

He narrated, “The abductors were eight in number and came on foot with sophisticated weapons. They struggled to speak Hausa language to us but their language of communication is Fulani.”

Isah said they managed to escape under the cover of the night.

“We attributed the abduction to the handiwork of informants because it seems their main target was the customs officer who arrived home from his duty post, just a day earlier,” he said.

Security operatives reportedly responded to a distress call but were a bit late as the bandits had taken away the victims before they arrived.