…Barely 2wks after recorded abductees of 177.
by Achadu Gabriel, Kaduna
Bandits have again struck Maraban Rido community in Chikun Local Government Area of southern part of Kaduna State, abducting two daughters of a widow during a late night attack on Monday.
The victims were identified as Deborah Edward, a corps member, who completed her National Youth Service Corps programme in December 2025, and her younger sister, Rachael Edward.
The assailants were said to have stormed the family’s residence late at night, forcefully breaking into the house and abducting the two sisters.
The incident occurred barely two weeks after the abduction of over 177 worshippers in Kurmin Wali community from ECWA and Cherubim and Seraphim churches, heightening concerns over the resurgence of insecurity in parts of Kaduna State.
Speaking with journalists on Tuesday, the distraught mother of the victims, Mrs. Alice Edward, said she was initially abducted alongside her two daughters and a visitor identified as Priscilla, who had come to sleep over, in the house.
Mrs. Edward, a widow, disclosed that the attackers later released her after her daughters pleaded with the bandits to spare her life, explaining that she was their only surviving parent.
Alice said that she and her children had been ill before the attack and that her daughters begged the assailants to let her go so that nothing would happen to her.
According to her, the bandits released her but held on to the two sisters and the visitor, who later escaped from the bandits’ clutches.
Narrating her ordeal, Priscilla, who is currently receiving treatment in the hospital, said she was beaten severely by the bandits after Mrs. Edward was released.
She explained that the attackers continued to assault her with their guns until she lost consciousness and fainted, making them to assume she was dead.
Priscilla said she only regained consciousness in the morning when a Good Samaritan came to her rescue.
She further disclosed that during the ordeal, she told the attackers that her parents had no money to pay ransom, but they threatened to kill her in a miserable manner and intensified the beating until she collapsed.
Findings revealed that the family had earlier fled Maraban Rido community, between 2022 and 2023, due to rising insecurity and sought refuge in Narayi community before returning home in 2024, following alleged ‘relative peace’ attributed to the Kaduna Peace Model.
Residents expressed concern that the attack took place within a residential area and not in a remote bush, further deepening fears among community members.
Speaking on the incident, a community leader, Pastor Solomon Emmanuel, said insecurity had remained prevalent in the area for some time.
Pastor Emmanuel appealed to the government to urgently intensify security presence in the community, stressing that residents lacked the capacity to defend themselves against armed attackers.
Residents have continued to call on security agencies to act swiftly to prevent further attacks and ensure the safe return of those abducted.
Journalist also visited a nearby hospital in the community where victims of bandit attacks were receiving treatment, including Priscilla, who sustained serious injuries to her eyes and other parts of her body.
Efforts to reach the Kaduna State Police spokesperson, DSP Mansur Hassan, proved abortive as at the time of filing this report.
It’s recalled that, scores, who were abducted in Lere and Kabiru LGA of Kaduna State, are still wallowing in bandits’ captivity.