Kaduna Bleeds Again: Bandits Kill, Abduct as Women Farmers March Over Herdsmen Attacks

Bandits have struck again in Kaduna State, killing a man, abducting his mother, and leaving two others injured during a raid on Gimi Tasha village in Makarfi Local Government Area on Thursday morning.

The attackers, who stormed the community around dawn, shot Uwais Yahaya dead before abducting his mother. Eyewitnesses said the gunmen ignored Yahaya’s wife but opened fire on his father, Alhaji Yahaya Ilu, and son, Ibrahim Yahaya, both of whom sustained gunshot wounds and were rushed to a nearby hospital.

“The bandits attacked Gimi Tasha, killed Uwais, and took away his mother,” a resident told Daily Trust. “They shot his father and one of his sons with AK-47 rifles but both survived. It was Uwais’s mother they targeted, leaving his wife to mourn his death.”

The incident has thrown the quiet farming community into mourning, with residents lamenting the increasing wave of insecurity in the area.

Gimi Tasha, located in the Kaduna North Senatorial District, has recorded several attacks in recent months, with locals accusing authorities of neglecting their plight.

In a related development, women farmers in Southern Kaduna on Saturday staged a protest against persistent attacks and destruction of farmlands by armed herders.

The demonstrators, mostly women and children from Aribi, Kenyi, Kutaho, Kabara, Kushe, Dogonkurmi, Katugal, Nkojo, and Kurmin Jibrin, marched barefoot and clad in black attire to the palace of the Chief of Koro, His Highness Yohanna Akaito, in Kurmin Jibrin, Kagarko Local Government Area.

They painted their faces black, held leaves in their mouths and on their heads, symbolizing mourning and resistance. The protesters chanted sorrowful songs, pleading with God to “wipe away their tears.”

Addressing the monarch, one of the women said:

> “Your Highness, we come before you as widows, orphans, and suffering farmers. Our farmlands have been destroyed by herders; our means of livelihood are gone. We are hungry and helpless.”

The protesters called on government and security agencies to act swiftly, warning that they would return to the streets if nothing is done.

Kaduna has continued to witness violent attacks by bandits and armed herders, leaving communities devastated, farms abandoned, and residents displaced.