Kaduna state government has announced that 323 people were killed and 949 others abducted in the State between January and March 2021.
Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs in the state, Samuel Aruwan disclosed this while presenting the first quarter security report at the State Security Council meeting on Friday, April 30.
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The routine report covered cases of banditry, kidnapping, cattle-rustling, attacks, and reprisal attacks.
He added that a total of 949 people were kidnapped by bandits during the period. Kaduna Central senatorial district accounted for 236 deaths and they were within Birnin Gwari, Chikun, Igabi, and Kajuru Local Government Areas.
According to the report presented on Friday, the Kaduna North senatorial district recorded the least number of attacks.
Of all the 323 killings in the period under review, 73.07 per cent occurred in the Central Kaduna district, 21.05 in Southern district and 5.88 in the Northern district.
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Also, on kidnapping, 82.4 per cent of 949 cases happened in the Central district while 13.59 per cent occurred in the South and 4 per cent in the North.
Aruwan stressed that military ground troops killed 64 bandits in the period while 100 were killed in air raids.
He stated;
The report also includes the aerial missions conducted over identified bandit hideouts and locations across the state, during which multiple scores of bandits were engaged and neutralised, with their camps destroyed.
Deaths linked to banditry, violent attacks, communal clashes and reprisals in the first quarter total 323 across the State. Of this, 20 were women and 11 were minors.
Out of the 323 citizens killed, 292 were males. 236 of the deaths occurred in Birnin Gwari, Chikun, Igabi, Giwa and Kajuru LGAs.
Birnin Gwari recorded the highest figure of 77 deaths, followed by Chikun with 52, Igabi 45,Giwa 42, Kajuru 20 deaths in the first quarter.
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The report added;
Southern Kaduna Senatorial District had 68 deaths in total, of which 5 were women and two below the age of 18.
Kajuru had 28 deaths, followed by Zangon Kataf with 14 and Kagarko with 12
And the Northern senatorial zone is the least affected with 19 people killed and Zaria has the highest casualty of six.
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It stressed;
As earlier highlighted, 64 armed bandits were neutralised during engagements with ground forces. Multiple scores of bandits were neutralised via about 150 targeted aerial missions conducted by the Niger Airforce. These missions were initiated based on credible intelligence of bandit activity and locations of camps, which were targeted and destroyed.
Several gunrunners have been intercepted and arrested with arms and ammunition recovered in the first quarter. 36 AK47 rifles, 1959 rounds of live ammunition and one rocket propelled grenade were recovered.
The commissioner further stated that investigations are ongoing towards dismantling more gun-running networks and blocking arms routes into the state.
He expressed the government’s sympathy for individuals and groups who have suffered terrible loss and hardship as a result of violence and insecurity.
Aruwan also reiterated the resolve of Governor Nasir El-Rufai-led government to intensify efforts towards enduring peace and security across the state.
