Fear has gripped residents of Sabon Gero community in Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State after suspected bandits launched a midnight attack, killing a vigilante member and abducting a pregnant woman, a nursing mother with her baby, and five other members of the same family.

Residents said the gunmen stormed the community around midnight, firing sporadically before heading straight to the home of a local businessman, Alhaji Ado Idris. The attackers reportedly operated for several minutes without any immediate security response, then forced their captives into a waiting vehicle and disappeared into the surrounding bush.

One of the victims, Jamila Alhaji Ado, managed to escape after being taken from the house. She recounted how the assailants broke into their home, rounded up the women and children, and marched them away under the cover of darkness.

According to her, the bandits showed no concern for the physical condition of their captives. She said they were forced to trek for hours through rough terrain. When she repeatedly stumbled and could no longer keep up, the gunmen abandoned her in the bush and continued with the others.

The head of the affected family, Alhaji Idris, revealed that the attack followed earlier threats. He said the same group had contacted him about three weeks earlier, demanding money. When he told them he had none, the calls stopped, only for the gunmen to return in a violent raid.

He said the attackers opened fire as they entered his compound, but he managed to hide. In his absence, they seized his wives, including the pregnant woman and the nursing mother with her baby, along with other children. He said seven members of his family are now being held in the forest, and appealed to authorities and the public for urgent help to secure their release.

During the operation, a local vigilante member, Abdulrahman Lawal, was shot dead. The community’s vigilante leader, Aliyu Muktar, said Lawal was attacked at his shop after confronting one of the gunmen. He was overpowered and shot at close range.

Lawal’s father, Muhammadu, said his son died while being rushed to hospital from gunshot wounds. In a separate incident the same night, bandits also killed a young man in another nearby community, further heightening tension in the area.