KACHIA – In a calculated assault that has exposed the persistent vulnerability of rural communities in the North-West, suspected terrorists have abducted ten residents, including seven members of a single family, in the Unguwar Sabon-Titi area of Kaduna State.
The attack, which occurred at approximately 9:32 p.m. on Thursday, April 2, 2026, targeted the Katari–Hayin Dam axis in Kachia Local Government Area. Reports indicate that a large number of assailants, armed with sophisticated weaponry, executed the raid with tactical precision, initially operating in total silence to avoid detection by nearby security authorities.
Tactical Precision and Silence
According to local sources, the bandits strategically surrounded the primary target residence before forcibly removing seven members of the Amos family: Jummai, Barnabas, Iko, Baby, Eunice, Eshiwan, and Godwin Amos. The gunmen then proceeded to a neighbouring house, where they abducted three additional victims identified as Bagudu Damisa, Evelyn Damisa, and Alfred Iriyo.
Residents noted the chilling discipline of the attackers, who reportedly refrained from firing shots during the initial abductions to avoid alerting the local Divisional Police Officer (DPO), whose residence is located in close proximity to the scene. It was only after securing their victims and retreating toward the forest that the bandits began shooting sporadically into the air as a parting gesture of intimidation.
Communication Blackout and Delayed Response
The incident has sparked fresh outrage over the failure of emergency response systems. A community leader, speaking on condition of anonymity, revealed that multiple attempts to reach security operatives via distress calls during the raid were unsuccessful as the lines failed to connect.
“The moment I received the distress call, I tried contacting security personnel, but their lines were not connecting,” the leader stated. This breakdown in communication highlights the “dead zones” in security infrastructure that continue to hamper rapid response efforts across the state.
Search Operations and Security Climate
By Friday morning, grief-stricken residents gathered at the affected compounds as security operatives reportedly commenced a search-and-rescue operation in the vast forests surrounding Kachia. However, as of Saturday morning, April 4, the Kaduna State Police Command has yet to issue an official statement regarding the status of the victims or the progress of the investigation.
This latest mass abduction adds to a grim week of security failures in Northern Nigeria, ranging from the high-profile ambush on the Zamfara Chief of Staff to the Jos North killings. While the federal government has recently touted the deployment of 5,000 AI-enabled cameras as a solution for Plateau State, the residents of Kachia find themselves relying on traditional, often futile, forest searches for their missing loved ones.
