Bandits have launched another attack on Kajuru Local Government Area of Kaduna State, abducting six residents from Unguwar Barkonu in Maraban Kajuru and deepening fears in a community already traumatised by mass kidnappings.

The assault took place in the Kufana Ward section of Maraban Kajuru, where armed men reportedly stormed the community under the cover of darkness, moving from house to house before seizing their victims and disappearing into the surrounding bush.

A resident, Steven Kefas, said the attackers arrived around 1 am, operating with apparent ease despite the area’s proximity to major roads and security formations. According to him, the gunmen broke into several homes and forced six people away at gunpoint, leaving families in panic and confusion.

Kefas expressed anger that such an attack could occur in what he described as the heart of Kajuru, a location where residents had expected a visible security presence and quicker response times. Instead, he said, the community was left to fend for itself as the bandits carried out their operation.

He added that, hours after the incident, there was still no meaningful response from the police or other security agencies, further eroding public confidence in the authorities’ ability to protect lives and property in the area.

The Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria in Kajuru Local Government Area, the Rev Enoch Kaura, confirmed the attack, saying it began late on Saturday night when the bandits surrounded the neighbourhood and attempted to instil fear among residents.

Kaura said the alarm raised by neighbours forced some of the attackers to retreat, but not before they succeeded in abducting six people. He described the repeated raids as “deeply troubling,” particularly as they come on the heels of the mass abduction of 177 church worshippers in the same local government.

He noted that families are still grieving and praying for the safe return of those earlier abducted when this latest incident occurred, compounding anxiety across the Kajuru axis and heightening concerns that the area has become a soft target for criminal gangs.

Efforts to obtain an official reaction from the Kaduna State Police Command were unsuccessful, as calls to the Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Mansir Hassan, did not go through and a text message sent to him remained unanswered.

Meanwhile, a special prayer session for the safe return of the 177 abducted worshippers was held at Tawaliu Baptist Church in Maraban Kajuru. The service drew Christian leaders from across Kaduna State and other parts of northern Nigeria, alongside distraught families who continue to wait for news of their loved ones.

Church leaders used the gathering to urge government and security agencies to intensify rescue efforts, confront the escalating insecurity in Kajuru, and restore a sense of safety to communities now living in fear of the next attack.