It’s a pity how many of us want to vacate our Kurmin Wali because of the persistent attacks, kidnappings and reckless killings by the armed bandits.
“Two weeks ago, we contributed millions of Naira, closer to N20 million, as ransom; we paid to secure the release of our people held captive by a group of bandits who had been imposing a levy on us,” Janathan Yohana, whose father and three children were abducted in Kurmin Wali Village during a Sunday sermon, told Daily Episode.
The abduction of 166 citizens in three churches at the Kurmin Wali village was early denied by the police and the Kaduna state government, hours after the news of the abduction surfaced, citing no evidence to confirm the reports.
The denial by the authorities was questioned, checked and countered with a comprehensive and in-depth investigation by Daily Episode reporters alongside other journalists from several media outlets.
After the stories emerged, the state government and the police authorities reversed their stands in grand style and acknowledged that the abduction of several worshippers occurred on Sunday, January 18, in the Kurmin Wali of Kajuru LGA.
How the attack happened.
Luka Bauna told Daily Episode that, “We were worshipping inside the church on Sunday. Suddenly, the internal security alerted us that armed groups were coming in large numbers and were approaching the church. We attempted to flee but learnt they had surrounded the community.
“At first, they invaded the community before approaching the churches; they entered, and the services erupted into chaos. Children, women and the elderly have already become hopeless.
“Knowingly, we are subjected to armed attacks, mostly in our farms, or they invade our houses to kidnap a few, but this time they come in large numbers and attack us while we worship the Lord.
“I began to pray and asked God to show mercy and rescue us miraculously, and lo and behold, we saw members of the two remaining churches coming towards us, some walking barefoot, escorted by heavenly armed gunmen, while we lay down on the ground.
“In the process, they brutalise many. I was beaten with a gun while I saw my children crying. I believe they are traumatised seeing me in that situation, or they are also being beaten, which I couldn’t comprehend.
“In that process, they searched everywhere and forced some people out of their houses and started beating us again and chased us into the bush. There, I understood only God will save us, and I eventually escaped to a nearby village inside a house of the community that has been displaced.
My five children, wife and community people are still held captive; it’s a terrible situation I can’t imagine being in. Bauna stated in tears, ”
The missing people and what the bandits told the community leader.
“In the incident, about 176 people were abducted, and 11 escaped. This is the first mass abduction we have experienced since the beginning of this insecurity. It’s terrible how the armed groups are regrouping with sophisticated arms while the attacks and atrocities are growing,” Ishiyaku D. Sidi, the Kurmin Wali village head, laments.
“For long, we have been paying ransom and levies to these armed groups, and repeatedly, they normalise kidnapping our people, demanding items, crops, motorbikes and even petroleum. When we couldn’t meet their demands, it was torture to the captives, death or another deadly attack as a consequence.
When asked by our reporter if the armed group had contacted them for negotiation, ‘Yes, they did,’ Sidi replied.
“When they called, they warned of the consequences of non-compliance, and they requested we deliver 17 motorbikes as ransom. According to them, our community was used as a shield when some people stole their motorbikes, so we must compensate them in exchange for our people.
Before this attack, we had contributed money worth N20m as ransom; all our farm produce and money had finished that way. How do they even expect us to afford those 17 Honda motorbikes?
That’s why some people are planning to leave this community, as security is no longer guaranteed, Sidi added.
Government reaction
After the state government and the police acknowledged the abduction, reversing their early stand, Governor Uba Sani, alongside the police, visited the community, pledging to secure the release of the abducted people.
However, the governor also awards road construction to the villages as an effort for infrastructural development.
Despite the visit sparking reactions, Mr Sidi, in a phone interview, applauded the governor’s effort but stated what matters to them is the abducted people’s freedom, which is non-negotiable.
Thereby, we urge the state to facilitate the freedom of our people as promised. He added.
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