Medical doctor, seven others killed as bandits abduct many in Kaduna church attack

By our reporter| Eight people were killed and an unspecified number abducted by bandits who attacked Haske Baptist Church in Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State on Sunday morning.

An equally yet-to-be-determined number of worshippers also sustained varying degrees of injuries with a medical doctor, Zakariah Dogo Yaro of the Kaduna State Ministry of Health, among those killed during the incident.

The church, located in Manini Tasha village, Kuriga Ward of the local government area, was attacked around 9 am on Sunday by the heavily-armed bandits.

According to an eyewitness account, the bandits upon their arrival surrounded the church and started shooting sporadically at the worshipers who scampered for safety in different directions.

Samuel Aruwan, the state commissioner for internal security and home affairs, has since confirmed the incident.

The state governor Nasir El-Rufai who condemned the attack by bandits on a place of worship in Chikun and other parts of the state, described them as shocking acts of depraved persons far removed from humanity.

According to the governor, the attack on the church where innocent worshipers were exercising their natural and lawful rights to assembly, represented the worst kind of evil.

El-rufai He, sent his heartfelt condolences to the families of the deceased and the Haske Baptist church, while also praying for the repose of the souls of the slain and speedy recovery for the injured.

Also on Sunday, armed bandits invaded Bagoma community in Birnin Gwari Local Government Area of the northwestern state and killed six indigenes.

Bandits also attacked Amfu village in Kachia council area where they shot a woman to death.

Kaduna State has in recent times witnessed a surge in banditry and kidnapping in schools with students being the major targets.

Two weeks ago scores of students were abducted by gunmen at Greenfield University, with three of them later killed by the bandits.

This was after over thirty students of the Federal College of Forestry Mechanisation in the Afaka area of the state were kidnapped.

The Kaduna government has, hover, adamantly refused to negotiate with or pay ransome to the bandits.