Bandits Attack Kaduna Airport Staff Quarters, Abduct 12

At least 12 people have been kidnapped by bandits following an attack on the Junior Staff Quarters of the Kaduna International Airport.

The incident occurred on Saturday, but the police authorities in the state have yet to confirm the attack.

One of the victims, who is a member of staff of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), was kidnapped along with his wife, five children, and three other persons who had visited them.

Elsewhere, the wife and child of an employee of the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET) were also kidnapped during the attack.

The Regional Manager of NIMET in the North Central, Sani Majidadi, confirmed the attack to Channels Television.

He noted that the gunmen invaded the junior staff quarters at the airport in the early hours of Saturday and broke into two apartments from where the missing persons were abducted.

Majidadi explained that the gunmen, in their large number, came through a bush from Ifira Village and cut the air-side perimeter fence before gaining access into the staff quarters.

He, however, stated that the prompt response of soldiers stationed along the Kaduna Airport Road prevented the bandits from kidnapping more people.

According to him, the armed men escaped into the bush upon hearing the gunshots from the security operatives.

The latest incident occurred barely a year after the staff of the airport came under heavy attack by bandits.

In 2020, several workers were kidnapped, and one person was killed by bandits, a situation that prompted the Kaduna State government to deploy troops along the Airport Road.

But Saturday’s attack has created fear for the workers of the airport who called on the Federal Government to urgently deploy more troops to the staff quarters and surrounding communities to forestall a reoccurrence of the incident.

They warned that the failure of the government to address the security challenges in the area would have a negative effect on the operations at the airport.