Mother, Baby Die As Bandits Abduct 50 In Kaduna Community
A pregnant woman fleeing Birnin Gwari in the Gwari Local Government Area of Kaduna State reportedly died alongside her new-born baby after the community came under attack by bandits on Saturday.
The gangsters also reportedly kidnapped 50 residents. It was learnt that the woman, who went into forced labour after she was abandoned by the other feeling residents, gave birth to a baby boy.
Terrorists have subjected the Eastern flank of the Birnin-Gwari to attacks for over a week. The Chairman Birnin Gwari Emirate Progressives Union (BEPU) Ishaq Usman Kasai said the community is deserted because of the frequent attacks by bandits.
He said they have in the last five days, been alerting the authorities and public to “the cruel, wicked and heartless attacks” by terrorists on Damari following the withdrawal of Ansaru (a splinter group of Boko Haram) from the area.
Kasai said: “Bandits encircled Damari and abducted about 50 people shortly before and after troops went to the town and escorted some remnants of the residents willing to move to comfort zones in the neighbouring communities and even to as far away as Zaria.
“The most worrisome situation is where a pregnant woman was running away along with her colleagues and was left away by the fleeing groups where she fell down and delivered a baby boy, but unfortunately both the mother and the baby lost their lives instantly.
“Even today, the bandits returned to the town unchallenged, burnt a vehicle, kidnapped scores, intercepted and maltreated people – a serious development that reflects the level of serious insecurity situation facing our community. These atrocities of bandits have made residents of Damari, the agrarian community that yearly produced over 600 tonnes of maize grains abandon their ancestral homes and farms for safety.”
He added: “About 20,000 persons, including women and children, have been displaced.
“BEPU is deeply sympathising with the people over these trials and assures them of continued efforts towards supporting them in all ways, especially in a humanitarian emergency, needs and would never relent on advancing engagement with government, whose major and primary responsibility as enshrined in the Constitution is the protection of lives and properties of the citizenry to do the needful.”
