Gunmen kidnap police, daughter, four others

• Christian group donates relief materials to victims of herders’ attack
• Civil servants to resume work today

Gunmen have abducted a female police officer, her daughter and four other persons at Janruwa, Patrick Yakowa Way of Kaduna metropolis.

According to witnesses, the bandits stormed the community on Saturday night and started breaking into houses.

When contacted, the Police Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), ASP Muhammad Jalige, promised to get details of the incident from the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in charge of the area for our reporter.

A witness, Matthew Babalola, said: “It was a commando-like adventure. They (bandits) stormed our community after 10 p.m. and raided four houses, kidnapped six people, including a woman, two young female teenagers, two young men and a grown man.

“They picked most of the victims through the windows after shattering the window glasses and removing the burglary proofs. They ordered everyone out. The victims had no option than to follow the attackers gently because they were at risk of being shot in their rooms.”

In another development, some respite came at the weekend for the victims of Southern Kaduna mayhem, as the Christian Solidarity Worldwide-Nigeria (CSWN) donated food and other relief materials to them at the Internally Displaced Peoples (IDPs) camp in Zonkwa town.

Armed herdsmen attacked residents of Chibwob, Sabon Kaura and Kampany villages in Zangon Kataf Council of Kaduna between July 10 and 12, 2020, killing 32 and displacing thousands from 22 villages.

The Chief Operating Officer of CSWN, Agera Liti, while presenting the items to the IDPs, explained that the renewed attacks on villages during the farming season portended danger to food production in the country.

Expressing concern that the bulk of those affected were women and children, Liti remarked: “Unless a deliberate and sincere strategy is adopted by the government in curbing the persistent insecurity in the country, valuable resources that ought to go into development would keep being wasted on rehabilitation after each attack.”

MEANWHILE, the state government has ordered all its civil servants to resume duty today, after more than three months holiday due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) lockdown.

In a circular, the Head of Service directed that different categories of workers would work on different days of the week from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The circular signed by the Permanent Secretary (Public Service Office), Ibrahim Jere, stated that all permanent secretaries, chief executives of agencies and directors would work from Monday to Friday, while those on Grade Level 14 and above would work on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

However, officers on Grade Level 7 to 13 were directed to work on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

Also, the management of Kaduna Polytechnic has also said that the institution was ready to re-open.