People living in villages and towns along the Kaduna-Abuja highway told the Daily Trust on Monday that an unspecified number of people have been killed by kidnappers who blocked the road four times at different points on Sunday.

Scores of people including eight students of Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria are still missing after they were kidnapped on the highway, it was learnt.

This confirmed our exclusive story of Monday, in which we reported that at least 15 people were killed by the kidnappers and an unknown number abducted.

The revelation by people in different communities and witnesses contradicted yesterday’s statements by the army and Kaduna State government.

They claimed that only two people were killed and nine others who were abducted had been rescued.

The two authorities were, however, still silent on the fact that the kidnappers blocked the road four times and held motorists hostage during the day without any resistance from any of the different security operatives purportedly manning the highway.

That notwithstanding, the Kaduna government yesterday confirmed fresh attacks by bandits in Igabi and Kajuru local government areas of the state which led to the death of “some people”.

The Commissioner, Ministry of Internal Security and Home Affairs, Samuel Aruwan, also said  that the Vice Chancellor of ABU, Professor Kabir Bala had informed the government that eight students of the institution were among those kidnapped on Sunday.

Gunmen Kill 15, Abduct Many Along Kaduna-Abuja Road

‘We don’t know the number of people killed’

Our correspondents who spoke with residents of Akilubu village along the highway said that the gunmen carried out “swift operations”, saying they could not ascertain the number of victims killed.

A housewife at the village whose home is by the roadside told Daily Trust that the bandits mounted four different roadblocks along the highway within hours.

She said the first roadblock was mounted around 4 pm at New Akilubu, thereby blocking the lane from Abuja to Kaduna and later Kaduna to Abuja.

She said another roadblock was mounted at a place called Gadan Malam Mamman, while the third roadblock was mounted at a forest closed to Rijana town.

“All these were on Sunday evening and many people were abducted while some were killed. The gunmen made their way into the forest with their victims,” she said.

Another resident of Akilubu told Daily Trust that the bandits returned to the area around midnight, shooting sporadically and left around 1 am on Monday.

“We couldn’t sleep on Sunday because the incidents took place a few metres from our village and the bandits returned around midnight shooting in the air,” he said. Ibrahim Jamilu from Rijana community corroborated that the highway was blocked four times. According to him, “Although I cannot say how many people were killed, I know the highway was blocked four times on Sunday evening.

“A few months back, the road was safe but the truth is the bandits have resurfaced and the authority needs to act fast,” he said as reported by Daily Trust.