A string of violent incidents in parts of northern Nigeria has resulted in the deaths of at least five people and the abduction of a woman, with separate cases reported in Benue, Bauchi, and Kebbi states.
In Benue State, gunmen suspected to be armed herders launched an attack on Akpete village in the Apa Local Government Area on Thursday evening. Eyewitnesses said the attackers stormed the village and began shooting randomly, leading to the deaths of four residents while several others went missing.
A community member, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said, “They arrived in the evening and started shooting everywhere. Four bodies were found, but many people are still unaccounted for.”
Local elders reportedly alerted authorities, but by the time security operatives arrived, the attackers had already fled.
Confirming the incident, the chairman of Apa LGA, Adams Ochega, stated that the community had no known conflict with herders prior to the attack. “I had just left a meeting between 5 and 6 p.m. when I heard gunfire. I tried to call people in the village, but the network was poor. Eventually, I reached security forces, and soldiers stationed in Ikobi moved in quickly, but the assailants had already escaped,” he explained.
Ochega also confirmed that arrangements were underway to deploy mobile police officers to support existing security personnel in the area. Attempts to reach the state police spokesperson, Catherine Anene, were unsuccessful as she did not respond to calls or messages.
In Bauchi State, a former local government chairman, Isa Wabi, was killed in the early hours of Friday at his residence in the Fadaman Mada area. According to police, the 66-year-old was attacked and stabbed multiple times by individuals believed to be acquaintances of his son.
Police Public Relations Officer, Ahmed Wakil, stated that the command received a distress call around 4:03 a.m. from a resident in the area. Officers arrived at the scene and found Wabi severely injured. He was rushed to the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital but was pronounced dead shortly after arrival.
Preliminary investigations suggest the attackers, identified as Ahmad Abdulkadir (alias Abba) and Faruk Malami (alias Ajebo), conspired to carry out the assault around 3:00 a.m. One suspect was reportedly found unconscious at the scene, possibly injured during a retaliatory act. Wabi’s 24-year-old son, Abdulgafar Isa Mohammed, has been taken into custody for further questioning.
In a separate incident in Kebbi State, a 30-year-old woman, Nafisa Usman, was kidnapped from her home in Gayi village, Kalgo Local Government Area. Family members said gunmen broke into her room around 2:00 a.m. and took her away without harming anyone else.
The abductors have reportedly demanded a ransom of N20 million. Kalgo LGA chairman, Alhaji Yahya Kuka, condemned the kidnapping and assured that efforts were ongoing to rescue the victim unharmed.
Efforts to reach Kebbi State Police spokesperson Nafiu Abubakar were unsuccessful, as he did not respond to calls or messages.
These incidents highlight the ongoing security challenges facing communities in northern Nigeria and underscore the urgent need for enhanced protection and intervention.
