From Noah Ebije, Kaduna
A student of Government Science Secondary School Birnin-Gwari in Kaduna State was shot and escaped with a bullet on his way to register for JAMB – UMTE exams in Kaduna, while seven others were killed in separate attacks by bandits in the area.
This was contained in a statement issued by the Birnin Gwari Vanguard for Security and Good Governance and signed by its Chairman, Ibrahim Abubakar Nagwari, in Kaduna on Saturday.
The statement noted that three other people escaped with mild wounds, while, 57 people were equally abducted.
The statement noted that ‘the nightmare of armed banditry along Birnin-Gwari-Kaduna highway has further deteriorated in the last twenty-four hours.
‘Today(Saturday) around 10:00 am a final year student of Science Secondary School Birnin-Gwari escaped with bullet wounds on his shoulder while on his way for JAMB -UMTE registration in Kaduna.
‘The dreadful armed bandits spray bullets on the vehicle conveying the student and others at Manini village after Kuriga along Birnin-Gwari Kaduna Highway.
‘The student is awaiting surgery for the removal of the bullet on his shoulder at Jibrin Maigwari General Hospital in Birnin-Gwari.
‘Similarly, armed bandits killed seven people at Unguwar Bula, Unguwar Dafillo and Ijinga in Randagi district, Birnin-Gwari on Saturday.
‘The bandits on motor circles numbering fifty attacked the communities around eleven O’clock in the morning on Friday and lasted for four hours, preventing people to conduct Juma’at prayers.
‘The bandits, apart from killing six people on the spot one other person died this morning at Jibrin Maigwari General Hospital, while 57 people were abducted, many of them women from the communities.
‘While commending the local government authorities for taking care of the hospital bills of those injured on the attacks, we are calling on the government to as a matter of urgency set up a special centre for JAMB examinations in Birnin-Gwari.’