Bandits kill four, abduct ECWA Pastor, 11 others in fresh Kaduna attack

By Obasola Olatunde 

Suspected armed bandits on Tuesday night launched a deadly attack on three communities in Yarkasuwa area of Lere Local Government, Kaduna State, killing four residents and abducting an ECWA pastor, Rev. Istifanus Dunga, along with 11 others.

The affected communities Jantsauni, Mai Doki, and Maiyamma located within the Kurama Chiefdom, were reportedly invaded around 10 p.m., as gunmen believed to be Fulani militia stormed the villages, shooting sporadically and causing widespread panic.

Confirming the incident, the National Publicity Secretary of the Federated Kurama Association, Mr. Pius Agaji Kyauta, said the attackers came in large numbers and operated for hours without any immediate security response.

“They fired sporadically, killing four people and abducting several others, including Pastor Istifanus Dunga. Our people have been devastated and the villages are in ruins. We urgently need government and security intervention,” Kyauta lamented.

A resident, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said his father and younger sister were among those kidnapped.

“My father was taken away without clothes, and my younger sister was also captured. The bandits surrounded every house; you couldn’t run, or they would shoot you,” the source narrated in tears.

He revealed that the victims killed were young men aged between 27 and 30 years, adding that as of Wednesday morning, no ransom demand had been made by the kidnappers.

The source described the attack as “an evil that has befallen the Kurama nation,” calling for urgent security and spiritual intervention to restore peace to the affected communities.

The incident adds to the growing wave of violent attacks and kidnappings across Kaduna State and other parts of northern Nigeria, where rural communities continue to face assaults from bandit groups despite ongoing military operations.