Tobias Sylvester
A mother and her newborn baby died while fleeing from bandits who abducted about 50 people from Damari community in Birnin-Gwari Local Government area of Kaduna state.
Bandits Attack Kaduna
Ishaq Kasai, chairman of Birnin-Gwari emirate progressives union (BEPU), who disclosed this in a statement on Sunday, said the pregnant woman died alongside the newborn baby shortly after delivery.
Kasai said the deceased were fleeing from the gunmen who invaded the community on Saturday after troops of the Nigerian military escorted some residents to neighboring communities.
The statement, which confirmed the abduction aleas 50 people, said the persistent attacks on the community “in the last 72 hours had reached a catastrophic situation.”
It reads, “Birnin-Gwari Emirate Progressives Union (BEPU) has been, in the last five days, alerting the relevant authorities and the general public on the cruel, wicked and heartless attacks by terrorist bandits in Damari, following the withdrawal of Ansaru (a splinter group of Boko Haram) from the area.
“The sad event in the last seventy-two hours in Damari town of Kazage Ward in the Eastern part of Birnin-Gwari local government area, Kaduna state, has reached a catastrophic situation.
“As at yesterday, bandits encircled Damari and abducted about 50 people, shortly before and after troops from military field-base from Dogon-Dawa went to the town and escorted some remnants of the residents who were willing to move to comfort zones in neighbouring communities, and even to as far away Zaria.
“The most worrisome situation is where a pregnant woman was running away along with her colleagues and was left away by the fleeing groups, [and] she fell down and delivered a baby boy, but unfortunately, both the mother and the baby lost their lives instantly.
“Damari is considered as the largest town in the entire Eastern part of Birnin-Gwari and with this worrisome development, about 20,000 persons, including women and children, are rendered internally displaced.
“Even today, the bandits returned to the town unchallenged, burnt a vehicle, kidnapped scores, intercepted and maltreated people — a serious development that reflects the level of serious insecurity situation facing our community.”
“This calamitous attrocities of armed bandits have made, Damari, the agrarian community that yearly produced over 600 tonnes of maize grains abandon their ancestral homes and farms for safety.
“BEPU is highly concerned on the ugly situation of the citizens of Birnin Gwari LGA particularly those in the local communities whereby despite all efforts to draw the attention of higher authorities for action as entailed in their constitutional responsibilities, have failed.
“BEPU is deeply sympathising with all the people of Damari over this trials and assures them of continued efforts towards supporting them in all possible ways especially in humanitarian emergency needs and would never relent on advancing engagement with Government, whose major and primary responsibility as enshrined in the Constitution is the protection of lives and properties of the citizenry, to do the needful.”
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