A year after bandits wreaked havoc on residents of Kagoro in Kaura local council, Kaduna State, many of them still have sleepless nights from the nightmare.
Bandits had invaded the community in March 2021, killing scores of locals, setting alight a number of houses, and displaced the occupants.
READ: ‘Bamayi’ — Kaduna Youths Reject Tinubu’s Candidature
Rita, as simply identified, was one of the unlucky residents, according to a podcast by HumAngle.
‘THEY FULFILLED THEIR PROMISE’
According to Rita, the bandits had sent a signal before they struck. They alerted them on Friday and attacked on Sunday.
“They (bandits) announced it before they actually came. It was on Friday March 18, 2022,” she recalled.
Friday and Saturday passed, and nothing happened. But Sunday’s tragic attack was a rain and flood of bullets. The marauding bandits forced the helpless residents to desert their shops. They looted the shops and set them ablaze afterwards. but they started looting and later set them ablaze.
“We all fled,” Rita said.
READ: Ungoverned Kaduna Community Enjoys Protection of Ansaru Terror Group Against Bandits
For Justina, she was away when her husband informed her that their community was under attack. She would return to the ashes of her residence.
“We ran away and even the soldiers around had to hide, before they later reprised and that helped to save some communities from the devastation,”said Justina. “ I saw four bodies dumped in a shop and eight others in a yam farm,” Justina recounted.
Rita, Justina and many others knew that the terrorists would come again.
They were getting situation reports from some of their community members who were trapped in the community.
READ: How Bandit Kingpin Died During a Foiled Attack on Military Base in Kaduna
A day after the Sunday attack, the bandits came in three 18-seater buses at about 7:00 pm and spent 25 hours unchallenged, Justina recounted, adding the reinforced attack led to the death of three soldiers of Operation Safe Haven, who were repelling the invasion.
Presently, Justina and Rita are taking refuge somewhere in an apartment hosting over 30 persons. Yet, the invasion of March 2021 is still afresh in their memories.
Babaji Usman Babaji is an investigative journalist with over four years of experience, renowned for his impactful reporting on corruption, human rights violations, and holding those in power accountable in Nigeria.
His career is distinguished by participation in numerous media training programs and conferences, which have honed his investigative and reporting skills. Babaji’s data-driven stories have made a significant impact, particularly in Northern Nigeria, shedding light on critical issues and driving meaningful change.
As a reporter under WikkiTimes’ Collaborative Media (CMEDIA) Project, Babaji has led several groundbreaking investigations. He was a 2022 fellow of the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID) and a 2024 Media Foundation for West Africa DPI/DPG fellow. His contributions to accountability journalism earned him a Certificate of Recognition from Xchange Hama Media for impactful community work.