The Village Head of Kurmin Wali, in the Kufana Chiefdom of Kajuru Local Government Area, Kaduna State, Mr. Ishaku Dan’azumi, has said that 80 of the people believed to have been abducted during a bandit attack on the community about two weeks ago have been located, while 86 others are still missing.
Daily Trust had earlier reported that bandits raided Kurmin Wali, abducting worshippers from at least three churches in an attack that sparked widespread outrage and calls for urgent intervention by the Federal Government.
Speaking on Sunday, Dan’azumi explained that the 80 individuals escaped during the attack by fleeing into the forest, where they hid in remote locations out of fear, a situation that delayed their return and communication with the community.
“We have now confirmed that 80 of our people have been found in different locations. They ran through the forest and hid because of fear on the very day of the incident,” he said.
According to him, contact with the escapees was established only a few days ago when one of them reached out to the community and disclosed their whereabouts, prompting a verification exercise by local representatives.
“One of them called and told us where they were. We sent people there and confirmed their location. They were afraid because they thought what happened to a nearby village, where bandits burnt down the entire community, had also happened to us. That was why they did not reach out immediately,” he explained.
The village head said a headcount conducted on Friday confirmed that the 80 people were found in various forest settlements, adding that search teams had been deployed to surrounding areas to determine whether more victims were still hiding.
He noted that the state government has been formally informed of the development, although fear is still preventing some of those found from returning home.
“We have informed the government that 80 people have been found. They want us to gather them together, but fear is stopping many of them from returning. However, we have spoken with them and confirmed their locations,” Dan’azumi said.
Daily Trust had reported that on January 18, bandits invaded Kurmin Wali in a coordinated attack on churches, abducting a total of 177 women, children and men. The incident initially drew denials from the state government and the police, before authorities later confirmed the attack and assured the public that efforts were underway to rescue the victims.
Meanwhile, the Kaduna State Commissioner of Police, CP Rabiu Muhammad, is said to have held a series of meetings with community leaders, traditional rulers, Fulani ardos and youth leaders in neighbouring communities to promote peaceful coexistence and strengthen local support in addressing insecurity in the area.
When contacted over the reported discovery of the 80 victims, the Police Public Relations Officer in the state, DSP Mansir Hassan, said the command was working to obtain a comprehensive report before issuing an official statement.
