Bandits have abducted scores of students and other travellers along the Birnin-Gwari highway in Kaduna State.
The bandits – a loose term for gangs of outlaws carrying out robberies and kidnappings – also burnt eight vehicles conveying students to their examination for admission into the School of Health in Makarfi which is affiliated with Kaduna State University.
According to the Birnin Gwari Emirate Progressive Union (BEPU) in a statement issued by the Public Relations Officer (PRO), Idris Saidu, the terrorists on Tuesday morning laid siege on three different locations on the highway, forcing motorists to make u-turns.
“One of our officials, Abubakar Haruna Babajo, who escaped, said they were able to escape by Allah’s Will,” BEPU’s statement reads in part.
Furthermore, BEPU advised intending travellers to either suspend their journey or use other possible alternative routes, stating that a large number of bandits were currently stationed at about three locations on the Birnin-Gwari highway.
Security experts say Nigeria can ill afford more instability as it is already struggling to contain Islamist insurgencies in the northeast, conflict in central states, and militant groups in the Niger Delta to the southeast.
