Hundreds of residents have evacuated the Kidandan community in Giwa Local Government Area of Kaduna State over the weekend. This exodus was prompted by a bandit raid that lasted for several hours, during which the attackers fired indiscriminately, resulting in casualties among the locals and the abduction of numerous individuals.
According to survivors interviewed by journalists, the bandits, who had been instilling fear in the community, escalated their aggression due to farmers’ failure to pay levies imposed on them by the marauding criminals.
As of now, the Kaduna State Police Command has not issued a response to the incident.
The assault on Kidandan occurred just days after an unfortunate bombing incident by an Army Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) in Tudun Biri village, Igabi Local Government Area of Kaduna State. The airstrike resulted in the death of over 120 individuals in Tudun Biri, with more than 70 others hospitalized.
” For the past 6 days, the bandits have been coming to Kidandan, but this attack was devastating. They came and terrified us, stole and abducted our people. Every resident in Kidandan lives in extreme fear,” a local said under anonymity.”
“Our women and children are leaving in droves. The number of those who embarked on this forceful and unprepared exodus would surprise you. They are moving to safety, perhaps to Zaria and other seemingly safe locations to squat with friends and relatives,” he added.
He claimed that rather than maintaining a continuous security presence in the community, the security personnel only conducted periodic patrols. This situation provided the bandits with the chance to carry out their activities whenever they were aware that the security forces had left.