Fleeing bandits surround Birnin-Gwari, kidnap many residents

Few days after the news that fleeing bandits from other areas were closing in on Birnin-Gwari town in Kaduna State, residents said that the bandits have encircled Birnin-Gwari town since Thursday night and abducted many residents of the community.

A source said, “the sad event happened at Gobirawa area of Birnin-Gwari main town close to NTA Birnin-Gwari and not more than 500 metres away from the Air Force field base.”

The Birnin-Gwari Local Government Council has since issued a warning to the residents of the area to restrict movement in the entire Birnin-Gwari Emirate.

The Council Chairman, Abdullahi Ibrahim Muhammad Amir; in a widely publicised message; warned that after a meeting with the Emirate Council and security agencies in the area, all movement whether on foot; bike or any kind of vehicle was not allowed from 8.30 pm in the emirate.

The people were told that violators would be dealt with by the military and other security operatives in the emirate.

The warning was issued by Mustapha Idris Abdulra’uf, on behalf of the council boss.

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The Danmasanin Birnin-Gwari and former Managing Director of the Kaduna State Media Corporation, Alhaji Zubair Abdurra’uf told journalists in an interview on Friday night, that “when I said early this month that terrorists were closing in, on Birnin-Gwari, many people did not believe me .”

“Now that the bandits have the audacity to enter the main town of Birnin-Gwari and carried out their act. So I think the government has been paying lip service to the issue of security in Birnin-Gwari.”

“We’ve been saying that if the government is serious about it, the government should come and let’s have a kind of security summit in Birnin-Gwari. Let’s discuss issues and strategies, not for public consumption so that we can now bring solutions to these problems now .”

“But look at it, now as it is nobody can go to the farm in Birnin-Gwari, particularly the central part of Birnin-Gwari. Nobody has gone to either clear the farm or even to attempt to do the early planting because these terrorists have taken over most of these farmlands.”

He said it was the hope of the Birnin-Gwari people that government would do something in these last few days, that would enable the people of Birnin-Gwari to conduct their activities peacefully.

But they were left praying fervently for God to help them with leaders that would bring succour to the people of Birnin-Gwari, soon.

He said now that the Local Government Council has taken a drastic measure in imposing a kind of curfew on Birnin-Gwari, it was hoped that the government would do anything possible to overcome the bad situation between now and Monday when the incumbent administration would be handing over.

However, there was no response from the police on the incident as at the time of filing this report.