Gunmen have abducted 18 persons, including four nursing mothers and their babies, at Mando village in the Birnin-Gwari Local Government Area of Kaduna State.

The Chairman, Birnin-Gwari Emirate Progressives Union, Salisu Haruna, said in a statement that the incident took place on Wednesday.

Birnin-Gwari, a gateway to the southern part of the country, has over the years been bedevilled by banditry, kidnapping and armed robbery.

According to Haruna, the AK-47 wielding bandits raided from house-to-house in search of foodstuffs and looted other property.

The statement read in part, “After relative calm along the Birnin-Gwari-Funtua Road after the sustained onslaught by security forces, we regret to inform the general public of an attack at Mando village, a distance of five kilometres from Birnin-Gwari town.

“In the latest incident, bandits attacked Mando shortly after midnight and abducted 18 persons, including four nursing mothers.

“The bandits did a house-to-house search for grains, other food items and property, whose value has yet to be quantified.

“The 18 persons abducted include four nursing mothers with their babies and 10 able men.

“We are calling on the security personnel, particularly the Air Force Field Base in Birnin-Gwari that is just three kilometres to Mando and the government to be more proactive in protecting lives and property.

“We equally urge our citizens to assist in reporting suspicious elements and their collaborators.”

As of the time of filing this report, the state police command had yet to confirm the incident.

A call by our correspondent to the Public Relations Officer of the command, ASP Mohammed Jalige, rang out and he had yet to respond to a text message sent to his mobile telephone.