Bandits in two separate attacks were said to have killed six security operatives in communities in Kaduna State between Tuesday and Wednesday.

Twenty-three other residents were abducted by the bandits.

Those killed included five vigilantes and a mobile police officer

The bandits attacked three communities — Udawa, Ungwan Sauri and Adnayita in Juji area, all in Chikun Local Government Area of the state.

At Ungwan Sauri and Adnayita in Juji, it was learnt that the bandits, in large numbers, invaded the communities in the early hours of Wednesday, shooting indiscriminately and in the process, killed the Police officer.

The state police Command Public Relations Officer, Mohammed Jalige, confirmed the attack, adding that operatives of the command had since been deployed to the community.

However, Jalige couldn’t give details of how many residents of the communities were taken away by the bandits.

But a source who is also a vigilante member told our correspondent in confidence that no fewer than 23 members of the communities were abducted by the hoodlums.

“The unceasing gunshots started by 12:50 in the early hours of Tuesday and lasted till 2:00am

“Initially, we thought the sound of the gunshots were coming from neighbouring Buwaya community but before we knew, the bandits were on us.

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“Ungwan Sauri and Adnayita communities in Juji area are close to each other. In all, 23 persons were kidnapped,” he added.

On the Udawa community attack, which happened on Tuesday at about 5:00pm, the bandits, according to a community leader, Liman Huissaini Udawa, had ambushed eight vigilantes and had killed five of them, while three others escaped.

He said the vigilance group was attacked along the Kaduna-Birnin Gwari highway while coming back from the state capital (Kaduna).

He told our correspondents that the five vigilance group members have been buried with in accordance with Islamic rites.

According to him, one of the vigilante members was badly injured and currently receiving treatment in an undisclosed hospital.

The other two members, he added, also sustained injuries.

He gave the names of the five members killed by the bandits to include: Musa Sulaiman, Ibrahim Lawal, Bashar Ibrahim, Saidu Sarki and Abdulsalam Haruna; while Idris Abdullahi sustained gunshot wounds.