Bandits Attack Kaduna Airport Staff Quarters, Abduct Staff Members

Bandits have on Saturday attacked Junior Staff Quarters of Kaduna International Airport, abducting at least 12 people.

The ugly incident which occurred today comes barely a year after staff of the airport came under heavy attack by bandits.

Locals near the airport said the gunmen were armed with dangerous weapons and whisked away some members of staff and their families.

One of the victims, who is a member of staff of Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), was kidnapped along with his wife, five children, and three other persons who had visited them, ChannelsTV reports.

Elsewhere, the wife and child of an employee of Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET) were also kidnapped during the attack.

Regional Manager of NIMET in North Central, Sani Majidadi, confirmed the attack, saying the gunmen invaded the junior staff quarters at the airport in the early hours of Saturday and broke into two apartments from where the missing persons were abducted.

Majidadi explained that the gunmen, in their large number, came through a bush from Ifira Village and cut the air-side perimeter fence before gaining access into the staff quarters.

He, however, stated that the prompt response of soldiers stationed along Kaduna Airport Road prevented the bandits from kidnapping more people.

According to him, the armed men escaped into the bush upon hearing the gunshots from the security operatives.

The incident occurred today but police authorities in the state are yet to confirm the attack.

Saturday’s attack has created fear for workers at the airport who called on the Federal Government to urgently deploy more troops to the staff quarters and surrounding communities to forestall a reoccurrence of the incident.

They warned that the failure of the government to address the security challenges in the area would have a negative effect on the operations at the airport.