343 killed, 830 kidnapped between July, September in Kaduna ― Commissioner

The Kaduna State, Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Samuel Aruwan, has said 343 people were killed, while 830 people were kidnapped between July and September 2021 in the state.

He made this known while presenting the third quarterly security report of the Kaduna State government at the Kashim Ibrahim Government House, on Wednesday.

According to him within the period under review, 193 deaths were recorded in the Southern Kaduna senatorial district, as a result of violent attacks and reprisals, while 130 deaths were recorded in Kaduna Central Senatorial District and 20 deaths in the Northern senatorial district.

Aruwan also disclose that 830 people were kidnapped within the period under review, saying, out of the number of those kidnapped Kaduna central accounted for 732 kidnapped cases, while 51 persons were kidnapped in Southern Kaduna Senatorial District and 47 persons were kidnapped in the Northern senatorial district.

Commenting further, the commissioner disclosed that 210 people were injured due to banditry, violent attacks, reprisals and communal clashes, saying 122 people were injured in Kaduna Central Senatorial District, while 67 people sustained injuries in the southern Kaduna senatorial district and 21 persons were injured in the Northern senatorial district.

He said: “1,018 animals were rustled in the state in the third quarter, with 780 stolen from the Kaduna Central Senatorial District accounting for around 77 per cent of the total animal rustled.

He said in the period under review, the state government received 77 reports relating to the destruction of farm crops notably in Birnin Gwari, Igabi, Giwa, Kachia, Kaura, Kauru and Zangon Kataf, saying such destruction usually resulted in violence in the front line local government areas.

Also, he noted that banditry and kidnapping are striving due to the flow of money which encourages them in the business.

Aruwan listed ransom from kidnapped hostages, sales of rustled cattle, profits from gun-running or arms trade, leasing of weapons to other criminal groups among others as the primary source of money for the bandits.

He lamented the current insecurity challenge is a major threat to the looming food crisis, education and health.

According to him, “banditry has hampered farming activities in the frontline areas of the state. Bandits continue to attack and abduct farmers working on or on their way to their farms. Several farmers have similarly been killed.

“Primary, Secondary and tertiary institutions remain under threat from bandits. Teaching and learning activities in frontline areas have been severely hampered. While hospitals and other health facilities in frontline locations are equally under grave threat from armed bandits.”

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