Driver injured as bandits open fire on car conveying traders

A driver identified as Sani Dalladala and his passengers narrowly escaped abduction after bandits opened fire on his vehicle, injuring him along the Katari–Gurara Dam road in the Kachia LGA of Kaduna State. Musa Ladan, a resident of Katari, said the incident occurred on Sunday around 2:30 pm while the driver was conveying traders in […]

A driver identified as Sani Dalladala and his passengers narrowly escaped abduction after bandits opened fire on his vehicle, injuring him along the Katari–Gurara Dam road in the Kachia LGA of Kaduna State.

Musa Ladan, a resident of Katari, said the incident occurred on Sunday around 2:30 pm while the driver was conveying traders in a Volkswagen Golf from Katari to the Gurara Dam village market.

He said the attack happened shortly after the Kurutu junction, where bandits wielding AK-47 rifles suddenly emerged from the nearby bush and opened fire on the vehicle, hitting the driver in the process.

The driver, who was traveling at high speed, managed to escape despite being hit in the leg after a bullet pierced through the car door, the resident added.

“The driver was conveying six traders from Katari to the Gurara Dam village market when the bandits suddenly emerged from the bush and opened fire. However, the driver summoned the courage to escape with his passengers despite being shot in the leg,” Ladan said.

According to the witness, the driver was immediately taken to a hospital in Gurara Dam village, where he is receiving treatment for the gunshot wound.

A community leader from the area also confirmed the incident to our reporter via telephone on Monday.

He noted that the bandits had waylaid the vehicle along the Katari–Gurara Dam road.

“We thank God that he was able to escape along with all his passengers, though he sustained a bullet injury and is currently receiving treatment,” the leader said.

The community, however, decried the upsurge in bandit attacks across various settlements in the area. They called on the state government to establish two or three military checkpoints along the Katari–Gurara Dam road to tackle the activities of bandits on that route.

A security source, who preferred to remain anonymous, also confirmed the incident, stating that troops embarked on a patrol of the axis immediately after receiving information about the attack.

The spokesperson for the Kaduna State Police Command, DSP Hassan Mansur, had not yet confirmed the incident at the time of filing the report.