No passenger abducted during gun duel with bandits in Kaduna, say police
THE Kaduna State Police Command has debunked reports suggesting persons were abducted during a gun duel with terrorists, along the Kaduna- Abuja highway.
It insisted that rather, some of the bandits fled with gunshot wounds.
Spokesperson for the command, ASP Mansir Hassan, who made the clarification in a statement, said six people were caught in the crossfire and sustained bullet wounds.
He said: “The attention of the Kaduna State Police Command has been drawn to a misleading story going round on both online and print media, where it was alleged that armed bandits abducted scores of persons along the Kaduna- Abuja highway and whisked them away to an unknown place.
“The command wishes to set the record straight. There was a heavy gun duel along Kaduna- Abuja expressway between security operatives and armed bandits on January 6, 2024, at about 11: 30 a. m. The incident occurred when the armed bandits, in large numbers, attempted to cross the said expressway at the Dogon Fili area, heading towards Jere axis.
“They were engaged in a fierce shoot- out by security agents who dislodged the hoodlums and ensured a lot of them only escaped but with gunshot wounds. In the course of the battle, commuters plying the highway were caught in the crossfire, with six persons sustaining varying degrees of bullet injuries.
“They are Jibrin Tasiu, m’, 27; Jummai Abubakar, ‘ f’, 20;
Zafira Abubakar, ‘ f’, 11, and Abdulkarim Nurudeen, ‘ m’, 2. Others are L/ Cpl Chinedu Jerry Moneke, ‘ m’, 37, and Ayo James, ‘ m’, 42. They were all rushed to the hospital for medical attention.
“The command wishes to further state that this was an unfortunate isolated incident in a long time, as the Kaduna- Abuja expressway has since been fortified for the use of commuters. Thus, the general public should disregard the misleading and fear- inducing story.”
Hassan added: “The command is calling on the public around that axis to be on the watch for any person or persons nursing suspected bullet injuries and report the same to the closest police station or any security outfit.
“Equally, the Commissioner of Police, Audu Dabigi Ali, is calling on journalists to always verify their stories with concerned security agencies before going to press. This will ensure that only right and correct information is available to the public.”