Bloody Monday, as bandits take over Kaduna-Zaria highway, kill many, kidnap dozens

It was a bloody Monday along the Kaduna-Zaria highway after a band of heavily armed bandits took over the road, killing scores of travellers while abducting many others.

Information garnered by Ripples Nigeria had it that the deadly attack occurred at Kofar Gayan on the outskirt of Zaria around 8pm on Monday, with that terrorists shooting sporadically at vehicles in order to immobilize them and abduct the passengers.

Eyewitnesses said the attackers succeeded in abducting many travellers and took them into the bush before the arrival of security agents.

“They kidnapped many travellers, some fled, while others were shot at. It will be difficult to determine the number of those killed or abducted,” a witness was quoted as saying.

Read also: Troops kill several bandits in failed Kaduna-Zaria highway attack

“The terrorists were many and fully armed. They were shooting as if in a war situation. It was scary. I can tell you that they may have killed over 10 passengers and they also kidnapped many other people.

“They had a field day operating for many hours before security operatives came but the damage had been done by then,” a passenger who managed to escape the carnage also narrated.

The state police spokesman, ASP Mohammed Jalige, as well as the state Commissioner of Internal Security and Home Affairs, Samuel Aruwan, were yet to confirm the incident as calls to their phones were not responded to before going to press.

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