Police Arrests Suspected Bandit Kingpin Linked With Killing Of Seminarian

The Kaduna State Police Command has said it has apprehended the suspected mastermind of the September burning of Saint Raphael’s Catholic Church at Fadan Kamanta during which the seminarian was killed.

The suspect, identified as Yakubu Saidu was arrested on Thursday by police operatives at Zangon Urban.

The spokesman of the Kaduna Police Command Mansir Hassan announced the development via a statement.

The police said that the suspect confessed his involvement in the attack and the killing of the seminarian and that one of his gang members – from Fadan Kamanta facilitated the assault and is on the run.

His arrest comes about seven months after bandits attacked the church’s rectory and killed Stephen. They also set the parish house ablaze after a failed attempt to abduct two priests working in the parish.

Kaduna is one of the states worst hit by banditry in the country and has in recent years witnessed attacks on religious centres and public places among others.

In 2022, they attacked the Kaduna-Abuja rail line, killing some and injuring others.

Terrorists Release Seven Persons Kidnapped In Kaduna

Meanwhile, terrorists have released seven out of over 14 people kidnapped in the Dogon Noma-Ungwan Gamo community in the Kajuru Local Government Area of Kaduna State over the weekend.

Naija News reported that the kidnap occurred in the early hours of Saturday when a large group of bandits invaded the Dogon Noma community and abducted the victims.

However, Naija News gathered that the gunmen released the seven captives unconditionally on Monday afternoon 48 hours after their abduction.

A family member of one of the freed persons, Mohammed Aliyu, informed Premium Times that the terrorists did not give the released captives any reason for the release.

He said the group of released captives includes three women, three men, and a nursing mother, adding that they have been reunited with their families.

Naija News reports that the upsurge in bandit attacks intensifies the concerns in the region, as the development comes just a week after a staggering 61 people were abducted in the Buda community, also within Kajuru LGA.

A resident of the community, Aminu Kajuru, who holds a traditional title in the emirate, lamented that the area is now under siege.

He said the bandits ordered residents to come out of their houses and abducted them.

This recent abduction underscores a worrying trend in Kaduna State and surrounding areas, where communities are increasingly under threat from bandits and criminal gangs.