Fleeing terrorists encircle Birnin-Gwari, abduct many

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Locals in Birnin-Gwari town in Kaduna State have said that terrorists encircled the town on Thursday night and abducted many residents of the community.

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

The Birnin-Gwari Local Government Council has since issued a warning to the residents of the area to restric 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 were not allowed from 8.30pm 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.

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 do not believed me.

“Now they( terrorists) have the audacity to enter the main town of Birnin-Gwari and carried our 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 the 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 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.