KADUNA — The fragile peace of Millennium City was shattered on Monday as residents of the Danhonu II community took to the streets in a raw display of anger and despair. The protest followed a daring midnight raid by armed bandits who abducted seven people, including an entire family, from their homes.
By early Monday morning, the major arteries leading into the community were choked with human barricades. Residents, ranging from weeping mothers to defiant youths, demanded that the Kaduna State Government and security agencies end the “revolving door” of kidnappings that has turned their neighborhood into a hunting ground for forest-based criminals.
The Midnight Nightmare
According to harrowing accounts from survivors, the attackers stormed the community shortly after midnight on Sunday. The silence of the night was broken by the staccato of gunfire as the bandits moved with precision toward two specific households.
In the first home, the gunmen hauled away a man, his wife, and their three young children. Two other residents were snatched from a neighboring house before the kidnappers vanished into the nearby thickets. “They came like they owned the place,” one neighbor whispered, still visibly shaken. “No one came to our rescue until they were long gone.”
‘Regime Security’ vs. Human Life
The Danhonu II protest has become a focal point for a larger national debate on the government’s security priorities. Only hours before the raid, former Kaduna Governor Nasir El-Rufai issued a stinging critique, alleging that the current administration has pivoted toward “regime security”—protecting those in power—while leaving ordinary Nigerians to the wolves.
This sentiment echoed loudly among the protesters. “We see thousands of police officers sealing political offices in Abuja,” shouted one youth leader. “But here, where we are being slaughtered and kidnapped, there is not a single patrol vehicle in sight. Are our lives worth less than a politician’s office?”
A Nation in the Shadows
The latest abduction in Kaduna adds to a grim tally of recent violence, including the horrific church burning in Kwara and the market-day slaughter in Benue.
Critics have pointed out the bitter irony that while the Senate claims it cannot find a signal to transmit election results from polling units, these bandits have no trouble using the latest technology to livestream their victims from the forest.
The Ransom Trap
With petrol prices nearing ₦1,000 per litre and the national debt at ₦152 trillion, the economic toll of these kidnappings is becoming unsustainable. “We are already starving because of the economy,” said a mother at the protest. “Where will we find millions of naira for ransom? If the government won’t protect us, they are signing our death warrants.”
As of Tuesday morning, February 10, 2026, the Kaduna State Police Command has confirmed that tactical teams are combing the bushes. However, the community has issued a 48-hour ultimatum: if their loved ones are not returned, they will march on the Government House.
