July 6 (THEWILL) — No fewer than 10 farmers were killed and several others abducted after suspected bandits launched a deadly attack on farmlands in Kakangi village, Birnin Gwari Local Government Area of Kaduna State.
Security sources told THEWILL on Monday that the attack occurred on Saturday as farmers were tending their crops at the peak of the rainy season, a period that has witnessed a resurgence of attacks by armed gangs targeting rural communities across the region.
One of the sources, said the gunmen stormed farmlands on the outskirts of Kakangi village and opened fire on farmers, killing at least nine people on the spot while abducting several others.
THEWILL gathered that nine bodies had initially been recovered, with six of the victims identified by local authorities.
However, a community leader in Birnin Gwari, Kabiru Ishaq, who visited the village to sympathise with grieving families, said the death toll had risen to 10.
Ishaq disclosed that the attack was believed to have been carried out in retaliation after local farmers reportedly killed a bandit during an attempted robbery earlier on Saturday.
According to the security report, an accomplice of the slain bandit escaped and later returned with heavily armed reinforcements to launch a revenge attack on the farming community.
“The bandit’s accomplice returned with reinforcements and launched a retaliatory assault,” the report stated.
Last month, at least six farmers were killed while 20 others were kidnapped during an attack on Danauta village, also in Birnin Gwari, according to local sources.
The renewed violence comes amid heightened concerns over food security, as many farmers have either abandoned their farmlands or are forced to pay illegal levies imposed by bandits before being allowed to cultivate their crops.
As of the time of filing this report, the Kaduna State Government and security agencies had not issued an official statement on the attack, while efforts to rescue the abducted victims and track down the perpetrators were reportedly ongoing.
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