Residents of Giwa Local Government Area in Kaduna State lost two people and saw 26 neighbours taken captive after coordinated bandit raids, the Kaduna State Vigilance Service said. The assaults and related rustling also injured one local and prompted an armed recovery operation that retrieved cattle abandoned by the attackers.
Yunusa Shehu, Public Relations Officer of the Kaduna State Vigilance Service, said the raids hit Tunburku in Kidandan District and Tudun Amada in Kadage District almost simultaneously in the early hours of Monday, at about 12:30 a.m. Shehu identified the two men killed in Tunburku as Alhaji Surajo and Alhaji Ado, and named Ayyuba Usman as the resident who sustained injuries. He said 26 people were abducted in Tudun Amada.
Separately, Shehu reported an attack on Kura in Danmahawayi District at about 9 p.m. on Saturday, when gunmen stole livestock. The attackers also targeted Kallon Kura in the same district overnight, taking cattle before security forces moved into the area.
Following intelligence on the bandits’ movements and the location of the animals, KadVS personnel, led by the sector coordinator for Giwa, tracked the raiders. The security team engaged the assailants and recovered livestock that the bandits abandoned while withdrawing. A security source said 19 cattle were recovered at about midnight on Saturday, Sept. 5. Shehu added that initial estimates put the number of animals taken between 15 and 17, and authorities were still confirming the total stolen.
When contacted, DSP Mansur Hassan, Police Public Relations Officer for the Kaduna State Command, said he would seek further clarification and call back. As of filing, Hassan had not returned the call. KadVS said efforts to locate the abductees and establish the full scale of losses are ongoing.
The incidents underline continuing security pressures in Giwa LGA, with both human casualties and livestock thefts deepening the impact on affected communities while local vigilance units continue search and recovery operations.
