30th July, 2023
Bandits in Kaduna have killed the Vice-Chairman of the Jama’atul Izalatul Bid’ah Wa Iqamatus-Sunnah, Mallam Yakubu Bugai and five farmers in the Birnin-Gwari Local Government Area of the state.
Forty villagers who were also working on their farms were reportedly abducted.
The incident, according to the Chairman, Birnin-Gwari Emirate Progressives’ Union, Ishaq Kasai, occurred on Wednesday.
Kasai said this in a statement he released on Saturday, explaining that the cleric was shot at his farm located around Rema area and his corpse was later evacuated and taken to Jibril Mai-Gwari General Hospital.
He said the cleric died at about 7.30 pm the following day due to gunshot wounds on his abdomen and arm.
Mallam Yakubu Bugai was regarded as a strong pillar, pioneer member and also the Vice-Chairman of the Birnin-Gwari Orphans Foundation.
The foundation is an organisation devoted to taking care of thousands of orphans left behind by mostly victims of armed banditry in the area ravaged by insecurity.
“The Birnin-Gwari Emirate Progressives Union sorrowfully mourns the death of the Vice-Chairman of Jama’atul Izalatul Bid’ah Wa Iqamatus-Sunnah, Birnin-Gwari Branch, Mal. Yakubu Muhammad Bugai and three other farmers who were killed by the murderous bandits who have been unleashing terror in the area.
“The JIBWIS leader was shot on Wednesday 26/7/2023 at his farm located around Rema area and was later evacuated and taken to Jibril Mai-Gwari General Hospital. He sustained gunshot wounds on his abdomen and arm. Regrettably, he passed on by 7:30 am, the following day, Thursday, August 27, 2023
“In another sad development, around Sabon-Layi, Kurgi, Yelwa, Tashan-Keji, Shiwaka, Unguwan Danfulani and many more rural communities in the western part of Birnin-Gwari sharing boundaries with Kamuku and Kuyambana forests, which are serving as hideouts of the bandits, large number of locals were kidnapped at their farms.
“In fact, the situation is so rampant and complex for one to choose among the incidents to report. The bandits also had taken over people’s farms in those areas where in the Sabon-lay Community alone, more than 10 farms, especially those with grown-up maize, have been cleared deliberately by the bandits’ cattle.
“In fact, the bandits told the farmers to stop wasting their time going to farm in the area because even if they failed to obey, they would not allow them to harvest and may end up being killed or abducted,” the statement said.
The abducted were yet to be rescued as of press time.