On Wednesday, the Federal Government confirmed that 8 persons were killed in the Kaduna train attack that happened on Monday.
Apart from these 8 persons, at least, 287 persons have been killed and another 356 kidnapped in Kaduna state alone from January till date, according to the data from the Nigeria Security Tracker (NST).
For 12 years now, Nigeria has been faced with serious security challenges. Boko Haram and ISWAP insurgent groups, banditry and kidnapping, non-state armed groups to mention a few. All of which has led to the loss of thousands of lives, separation from beloved ones as a result of abduction, displacement, and causing many others to live in fear.
While many Nigerians in many parts of the country are living in fear because of the increasing insecurity, Kaduna appears to be a major hotspot due to the recent unfortunate incidents in the state.
On Monday, an evening train en route to Kaduna with over 900 passengers on board was bombed by terrorists between Rijana and Katari in Kaduna State.
So far, the Federal Government has confirmed the death of 8 persons with 25 hospitalized. There are reports that several passengers were abducted, mostly women and children but the number of persons kidnapped is still unknown.
While Nigerians were still mourning the sad incident that happened on Monday evening, on Tuesday, terrorists launched another attack at the Gidan train station along the Abuja-Kaduna rail track.
Besides these two recent incidents, data revealed that 287 persons have been killed and another 356 kidnapped in Kaduna from January to March 29 alone. Figures that are worrisome and of great concern.
The highest number of casualties happened in March. According to the data from NST, at least 140 people were killed and 196 were kidnapped.
In February, the precious lives of 106 people were taken away by bandits while another 49 were kidnapped, bringing the total number of casualties in the month to 156.
In January, 155 casualties were recorded. 98 reported cases of death and 54 of kidnappings.
Of the total 287 deaths recorded in the 3 months, bandits killed 263 persons, kidnappers 21, gunmen 1, while 2 deaths were from communal violence.
The 356 cases of kidnapping were carried out by bandits and kidnappers. Bandits accounted for 352 abductions, while kidnappers 4.
Where the 287 Killings and 356 Kidnapped Cases Happened
The 287 persons killed and 356 kidnapped in the period under review happened in 12 Local Government Areas (LGA) in the state. Kaduna state has 23 LGA.
Of the 12 LGAs where these killings and kidnappings happened between January to March, Giwa LGA recorded the highest number of persons killed and kidnapped.
In fact the 88 persons killed in the LGA happened within just 4 days, between March 25 to 29, while the 124 people kidnapped happened on March 10 and 25. Another hotspot is Zangon Kataf LGA. 68 people were killed in the LGA.
Birnin-Gwari also recorded a high number of incidents as 89 people were kidnapped and 22 others were killed in less than three months.
All these sad happenings in the state, particularly in these LGAs have left the residents in mourning, complaining, and questioning the government’s ability to protect their lives and properties.
Adamu who hails from Kundu in Giwa LGA told Dataphyte that living in Kaduna now is like signing to die because your life can be taken away at any time.
“We are just living in fear here. Bandits can come at any time and either kill or kidnap you. We are helpless, we can’t even sleep with our two eyes closed again. The number of people who have been killed and kidnapped is just too many and it seems as if we do not have a government” the Kaduna resident lamented.
Aisha who is from Birnin-Gwari LGA expressed the same fear. The mother of 5 explained with tears in her voice, that Kaduna state is no longer safe for her and her family to live in again.
“I and my 5 children do not feel safe here again and wished we could run away. Today you hear sounds of shooting everywhere. Whether it is during the day or night, we are scared and only pray we live to see the next day”, she said.
A military officer who also spoke to Dataphyte complained of the increasing insecurity in the state and Nigeria as a whole. He said the military is willing and ready to put an end to the killings and kidnappings happening in Kaduna state and other parts of the country but stated that the government has a lot of roles to play in this fight, one of them is sincerity and true commitment to ending the insecurity in the country.
Mr Timothy Avele, a security expert in Counterterrorism, Intelligence, and Cybersecurity stated that what is going on in Kaduna state and the country as a whole is sad. He said that the train attacks had been predicted since last year. Sadly, the response of security agencies to these attacks is always reactive.
Speaking on the way forward, Mr Avele said that the government needs to show, by actions, its political will to combat these threats head on. He also stated the need for more strategic intelligence gathering among the security agencies so as to foresee an attack in advance and thwart it by any means possible.