Residents of Birnin-Gwari, situated in Kaduna State, have raised alarm that for the past 9 days, bandits and other criminal elements have renewed onslaught on the Kaduna- Birnin-Gwari highway where they kidnapped over 44 persons.
The Birnin-Gwari locals said the ugly situation has forced drivers and commuters plying the highway to change to other routes, for fear of their lives.
The locals, who said their joy of having a temporary respite from the gruesome acts of the criminals was short-lived, said there was a resurgence of kidnap for ransom by the bandits who they said blocked travellers on the highway over the past 9 days, throwing the people into deep fear and confusion.
A local said, These bandits kidnap people on the Birnin-Gwari-Kaduna Road every day, despite there are security posts between Kaduna and Buruku; Buruku to Udawa, and Udawa to Kuriga.
When asked whether the security operatives manning the posts were withdrawn, the local explained that the security posts were just far from one another, which gave a leeway for the bandits to block sections of the highway and kidnap unsuspecting individuals. He alleged that apart from the security operatives at the posts along the highway, there was no any deployment of additional troops to the area.
The Birnin-Gwari axis in Kaduna State has for years been bedevilled by criminal activities, which has distorted agriculture and other socio-economic activities in that part of Kaduna State.
