The Village Head of Kurmin Wali in the Kufana Chiefdom of Kajuru Local Government Area, Kaduna State, Mr. Ishaku Dan’azumi , has said 80 out of the persons believed to have been abducted from the community about two weeks ago have been located, while 86 others remain missing.

Bandits had raided the community weeks ago, abducting worshippers from at least three churches.

The attack had generated outrage, with many calling on the Federal Government for their rescue.

Speaking on the development, Dan’azumi said the 80 victims escaped through the forest and hid in remote locations, which delayed their return and communication with authorities.

“We have now confirmed that 80 of our people have been found in different locations. They ran through the forest and hid because of fear on the very day of the incident,” he told Weekend Trust on Sunday.

According to him, one of the escapees eventually contacted the community and disclosed their location few days ago, prompting a verification exercise by local representatives.

“One of them called and told us where they were. We sent people there and confirmed their whereabouts. They were afraid because they thought what happened to a nearby village, where bandits burnt down the entire community, had happened to us. That was why they did not reach out immediately,” he explained.

The village head said a headcount conducted on Friday confirmed the figure of 80 that were found in different settlement locations in the bush, adding that search teams were also sent to forest settlements to ascertain whether more victims were still hiding.

He added that the government had been formally informed of the development, noting that fear was still preventing some of the people found from returning home even though some have returned.

“We have informed the government that 80 people have been found. They want us to gather them together, but fear is stopping many of them from returning. However, we have spoken with them and confirmed their locations,” he said.

On January 18 that bandits invaded Kurmin Wali, abducting 177 women, children and men in a coordinated attack on churches.

The incident sparked nationwide concern, though the state government and the police initially denied that any abduction took place. The authorities later retracted the denial, confirming the attack and assuring the public that efforts were ongoing to rescue the victims.

Meanwhile, it was gathered that the Commissioner of Police in Kaduna State, CP Rabiu Muhammad, has held a series of meetings with community and traditional leaders in surrounding villages, including Fulani ardos and youth leaders, in a bid to foster peaceful coexistence and seek local support in tackling insecurity in the area.

When contacted on the reported discovery of 80 victims, the Police Public Relations Officer in the state, DSP Mansir Hassan, simply said the command was working to get a comprehensive official report on the information before making a formal statement. (Weekend Trust, excluding headline)