Residents of Rafin Ciyawa community in Ningi Local Government Area of Bauchi State have recounted the terrifying ordeal they experienced when suspected bandits invaded the village, killing two children, injuring six others and abducting three residents.
The attack, which occurred shortly after midnight, threw the community into panic as gunmen stormed the village, firing sporadically before whisking away their victims.
Confirming the incident on Wednesday, the Bauchi State Police Command said two children lost their lives during the attack, while three persons were abducted.
The command’s spokesman, SP Nafiu Habib, disclosed that operatives of the Village Rescue Committee and the Anti-Kidnapping Unit, supported by local hunters and vigilantes, had been deployed to rescue the abducted victims and track down those behind the assault.
Speaking on the incident, a resident, Zubairu Yahaya, said the children were sleeping outside the residence of their Quranic teacher because of the hot weather when the attackers struck at about 12:30 a.m.
He explained that many residents initially mistook the sound of gunfire for a security operation.
“We thought the gunshots were from policemen or local vigilantes. It was only later that we realised bandits had invaded the village,” he said.
Yahaya added that by the time residents reached the scene, two of the children had already been killed, while six others had sustained gunshot wounds and were rushed for medical treatment.
According to him, the gunmen briefly retreated before returning to search for two brothers, identified as Saminu and Safiyanu, whom they allegedly believed had recently come into possession of a large sum of money.
Unable to locate the brothers, the attackers reportedly abducted members of their family instead.
Yahaya claimed the gunmen later admitted that the killing of the two children was unintentional, insisting they were not their intended targets before leaving the community with the kidnapped victims.
Another resident, Mukhtar Usman, said he narrowly escaped being abducted after the gunmen invaded his home in search of his younger brother.
He disclosed that the attackers kidnapped three members of his household Rukkaya, Samsiyya and Kabiru—and later established contact with the family, initially demanding a ransom of N100 million before reducing it to N10 million.
“We are still negotiating with them,” Usman said.
The attack has left residents in fear, with community members calling on the government and security agencies to intensify efforts to rescue the abducted victims and strengthen security across the area to prevent further attacks.