Kaduna: 937 killed by bandits, 1,972 kidnapped

The state Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Samuel Aruwan, presented the report at a ceremony in Kaduna.

According to Aruwan, victims of the kidnapping, banditry and other criminal activities cut across all ethnic and religious groups in the state, contrary to skewed narratives from some quarters.

‘’Victims of criminal acts like banditry and kidnapping are to be found across ethnic, religious or political leanings and persuasions,’’ he pointed out.

The commissioner said the total number of deaths linked to banditry and other forms of violence in 2020 in the state was 937.

‘’Of this number, Igabi LG has the highest figure of 152, followed by Kajuru with a figure of 144.’’

He added that Birnin Gwari, Igabi, Giwa and Chikun local governments in Kaduna Central Senatorial District accounted for 468 deaths out of the 937 people who died in 2020, representing over 50% of the fatalities recorded in the state.

‘’The southern senatorial district accounts for 286 deaths, which is about one-third of the total, due in large part to sporadic clashes, alongside banditry which triggered attacks and counter-attacks, especially between June and November 2020,’’ he added.

Aruwan further said, ‘’out of 1,972 people kidnapped in the period under review, Kaduna central senatorial district accounts for 1,561, and out of the total, 1,461 were kidnapped within Birnin Gwari, Igabi, Giwa and Chikun local government areas.’’