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From Noah Ebije, Kaduna
Over 20,000 residents of Damari community in Birnin Gwari local government area under Birnin Gwari Emirate Council of Kaduna State have been displaced by terrorists attacks within 72 hours.
Reports said the displaced persons included women and children.
The terrorists also abducted about 50 residents in the attacks, just as a pregnant woman said to be fleeing from the attack, fell down, gave birth to a baby boy and died on the spot along with the new baby.
This was contained in a statement made available to Reporters by the Chairman, Birnin-Gwari Emirate Progressives Union (BEPU), Alhaji Ishaq Usman Kasai.
As at the time of filing this report, there was no official statement from either the police authority or State government on the incident.
According to BEPU statement, “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 terrorists 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 Saturday, 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 her colleagues and was left away by the fleeing groups where 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 thousands persons including Women and Children are rendered internally displaced (IDPs).
“Even today, the bandits returned to the town unchallenged, burnt a vehicle, kidnapped scores, intercepted and maltreated people, a seriously 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 abandoned 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 entails in their constitutional responsibilities has failed.
“BEPU is deeply sympathizing 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 property of the citizenry, to do the needful”.
