.As communal clash claims 60 persons
The Traditional ruler of the Adara people in Kajuru Local Government Area in the southern part of Kaduna State, the Agwom Adara, Mr. Maiwada Galadima, and his wife were on Friday evening abducted by gunmen.
It was gathered that his driver, alongside four others in the entourage were said to have been killed for allegedly trying to prevent the gunmen from taking away the traditional ruler and his wife.
The incident took place at Idon on the Kaduna – Kachia highway.
The kidnap of the traditional ruler and his wife is coming less than 24 hours after Thursday’s bloody clashes between Muslims and Christians in Kasuwan Magani Community, which is within Kajuru Local Government Area.
Sources in the community claimed that not less than 60 lives were lost with properties worth millions of naira destroyed.
Confirming the abduction of the paramount ruler on phone, Chairman of Adara Development Association (ADA), Maisamari Dio, said that the traditional ruler was abducted near Idon village on his way from Kaduna to Kachia.
According to him, “Initially we thought that it was an armed robbery attack. We thought he was killed, but now it has been confirmed that he and his wife were kidnapped while the driver and four others were killed.
“We are still gathering more information because it happened this evening,” Dio said.
Meanwhile, not less than 60 people were said to have been killed during Thursday’s clashes in Kasuwan Magani, also in Kajuru Local Government Area.
Sources said corpses of the victims were evacuated to hospitals in Kaduna on Thursday night by security operatives drafted to the area to maintain law and order.
The corpses were said to have been deposited at Barau Dikko Specialist Hospital, St. Gerald Catholic Hospital and Agwam Awan Hospital.
But the Adara leader noted that not less 100 people may have been killed in the incident.
He insisted that in Barau Dikko General Hospital alone, over 50 corpses were deposited in the morgue.
According to him, “Those whose houses are closed to the market brought out weapons and started killing people in the market over a minor misunderstanding” he said.
Spokesman of the Kaduna state police command, Yakubu Sabo, did not respond to several telephone calls and a text message sent to his mobile phone to confirm either the casualty in Kasuwan Magani and the kidnap of the traditional ruler was not replied.