Terror swept through Kaduna State again on Thursday night as armed bandits unleashed another deadly attack, killing one person and abducting several others in Ikara Local Government Area.
The assailants reportedly blocked the Pala-Sayasaya Road, firing gunshots sporadically to scare residents and motorists. Witnesses said the attack sparked panic across the community as people fled for safety amid the chaos.
According to residents, the armed men ambushed travelers and seized motorcycles at gunpoint before whisking their captives into a nearby forest. Over ten motorcycles were reportedly stolen during the assault.
“Those injured were rushed to Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital in Zaria and Ikara General Hospital,” a local source told reporters, confirming that the road has become a hotspot for attacks.
The Thursday incident came just a day after the same area was attacked by another gang of bandits, leaving residents traumatized and fearful.
In a similar attack earlier this week, six farmers were abducted from their farms in the Birnin Gwari Local Government Area of Kaduna. Locals said the victims, who were working on their bean farms in Layin Danauta village, were taken away by heavily armed men on motorcycles.
A source in Birnin Gwari said the abducted farmers were his relatives. “So far, we’ve identified six people, but more could be missing,” he added.
Barely days earlier, several traders were also kidnapped along the Birnin Gwari–Kuyello road while traveling in a Golf car to the weekly Layin Danauta market. The vehicle, often overloaded with goods and passengers, was intercepted by gunmen who abducted everyone on board.
The attackers also seized two other travelers on a motorcycle before vanishing into the forest. The raid reportedly happened around 8 a.m., disrupting market activities and heightening fear among residents.
Traders confirmed that the victims were coming from the Dandume area of Katsina State, while the motorcyclists were residents of Kuyello Ward in Birnin Gwari.
Kaduna has remained one of Nigeria’s most terrorized states, with recurring attacks on farmers, travelers, and villagers despite multiple military operations launched to curb insecurity.
Locals now accuse authorities of abandoning rural communities to bandit control, as the criminals continue to strike with impunity — blocking highways, killing at will, and taking captives for ransom.
The state government has yet to issue a statement regarding the latest Ikara attack at the time of filing this report.