Bandits attack Taraba community, abduct 8 children, kill 1

Gunmen suspected to be terror bandits launched a deadly attack on Jimlari, a community in Lau Local Government Area of Taraba State, late Saturday night, killing one person and kidnapping eight children.

According to media reports, the criminal elements invaded the village around 11:30pm, shooting indiscriminately and causing panic among villagers.

Mr. Ibrahim Hassan, a resident of the community, said the attackers arrived in large numbers, making it difficult for locals to defend themselves.

The armed criminals this medium understand, targeted homes, taking children as hostages before escaping.

“We were caught off guard. They were shooting indiscriminately, and because of their sophisticated weapons, we couldn’t mobilise to confront them,” Mr Hassan said.

Also, another resident said his relative was among the abducted victims.

The residents who did not want their name mentioned said the victims were children between the ages of seven and 12 years.

They appealed to the government to rescue the abducted victims and also prevent a recurrence of the incident in the community.

However, the police spokesman of the command in Taraba State, Abdullahi Usman, confirmed the abductions on Sunday.

The police image maker said the command and other security agencies were working to ensure that the abducted persons are freed unhurt.

“Security forces, including the police, military, and other agencies, have been deployed to the area,” he said.

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