Armed gangs ‘go after children’ in Jos

Reports indicate that there have been new incidents of kidnapping in Jos, Plateau state capital, with the victims being children between the ages of two and 10 years. Ahmad Salkida, journalist versed in security matters, dislosed this on Wednesday.

According to The Cable, in a series of tweets, Salkida said unlike Zamfara state where the abductions occur mostly in the rural communities, kids are being taken away in the capital city and security operatives can’t do anything to stop them.

“These incidents in Jos are right under the noses of the elite formations of the Armed Forces – Army, Air Force, Navy, Secret Service, Police and paramilitary arms in the metropolis,” he said. “It is estimated that about 90% of the targeted victims are children, ages ranging from 2 to 10. It is feared that there might be a collusion between the kidnappers & the horde of security formations, jobless youths & vigilantes to keep the hapless population under constant distress.

“There is a reported incident of a 4yr old, Who was abducted in his sleep. Mostly, it is the middle income families that are targeted. A staff of a private firm with his wife and three kids were traumatized in the dead of night when 4 gunmen forced their way into their bedrooms.

“With barely 15, 000 Naira cash in the house, their 5 year old was instantly abducted, awaiting ransom. The distraught family ran to the Police in desperation, but the officers advised them to act wisely by heeding the instructions of the gunmen/kidnappers.