By Achadu Gabriel, Kaduna
Latest update from the Kaduna-Abuja highway terrorists attacks has revealed that one person was killed while three others sustained serious gunshot injuries at the instance of the Saturday 6th January 2024 attacks.
The update also revealed that four children of same parents and Nine other of their relatives coming from Abuja to Kaduna in two chattered vehicles were among those abducted by the heavily armed terrorist.
Nigeria police, Kaduna state command had earlier on the 9th January 2024, issued a release signed by their spokesman, Mansur Hassan, and debunked the report that no person was kidnapped on Kaduna-Abuja highway as reported in some sections of the media.
However, a family member of the four kidnap children who disclosed this in an extensive interview with our correspondent Thursday, in confidence for fear of police, also said the bandits have already called on them, demanding for N200 million ransom and later N50 million.
The family spokesperson who expressed shock over the various news media reports quoting the police, lamented the action, despite their visit and letter written to the police earlier on the incident about their 4 kidnapped children and 9 of their relatives.
The patents lamented that their children kidnapped by the bandits are mostly teenagers of aged between 10,12,14 and 17 years old exception of the one who is about 20 years old now.
“Four of the abducted are my children while the remaining 9 other victims are my relatives. All of them are still in the bandits custody till now. All of them were coming from Abuja at the same time in two chattered vehicles.
“They shot three persons, killed one and went away with 13 others.
“The ones shot are not my children, but are our relatives. The incident occurred at around Katari before Jere Abuja -Kaduna expressway.
“The bandits have confirmed their custodian of the victims and demanded for ransom starting with N200 million and later N50 million, for the 13 of them.
“There are others, picked up by the bandits that are not our relatives, I had of it on news reports”, the family member who’s name start with AE initial.
Our own prayer is for our children to come out of it alive. Most the people kidnapped are teenagers, children of age between 10, 12, 13, 17 and 28 years old. One person killed and three others sustain gun shot injuries.
But police release issued on the 9th January stated that nobody was kidnapped on Abuja- Kaduna highway as claimed and reported in news media.
The Journalists jittery and predicament in Kaduna now is intimidation and the fear of the recent incident where the phone number used by an investigative journalist to balance his report was supplied to police and used to arrest him and sent to prison for publishing the news report on Kaduna State Pilgrims Welfare Agency.
Earlier, in the statement accredited to the State Commissioner of Police (CP) Ali Audu Dabigi averred that “Security operatives engaged armed bandits in a fierce battle along Kaduna – Abuja expressway”,
admonishing journalists to always verify information before going to press.
“The attention of the Kaduna State Police Command has been drawn to a misleading story going rounds on both the online and print media where it is alleged that armed bandits have abducted a score of persons along the Kaduna – Abuja highway and whisked them to an unknown place. However, in order to constrict the misinformation flow, the Command wishes to set the record straight.
“There was a heavy gun duel along Kaduna – Abuja expressway between security operatives and armed bandits on the 6th January, 2024 at 2330 hours or thereabout.
“The incident occurred when the armed bandits in large number attempted to cross the said expressway at dogon fili area heading towards Jere axis and were engaged in a fierce shout-out by the well alerted security agents who dislodged the hoodlums and ensured a lot of them only escaped but with gunshot wounds.
“Hence, the Police Command is calling on the public around that axis to be on the watch for any person or persons nursing suspected bullet injuries and report same to the closest Police station or any security outfit.
“In the course of the battle commuters plying the highway were caught in a crossfire, as six persons sustained varying degrees of bullet injuries. They are; Jibrin Tasiu ‘M’ 27 years old; Jummai Abubakar ‘F’ 20 years; Zafira Abubakar ‘F’ 11 years and; AbdulKarim Nurudeen ‘M’ 2 years. Others are L/Cpl Chinedu Jerry Moneke 37 years and Ayo James ‘M’ 42 years old. They were all rushed to the hospital for medical attention.
“The Police Command wishes to further state that this was an unfortunate isolated incident in a long time as the Kaduna – Abuja expressway has since been fortified for the use of commuters thus, the general public should disregard the misleading fear inducing story.
“Equally, the Commissioner of Police Kaduna State Command, CP A.D. Ali, psc is calling on journalists to always verify their story with concerned security agencies before going to press. This he said will ensure that only the right and correct information are availed to the public”.
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