KADUNA — Fear has once again gripped the communities of Southern Kaduna following a coordinated midnight raid by suspected terrorists that left ten people in captivity, including seven members of a single family. The attacks, which occurred late Sunday night into the early hours of Monday, March 30, 2026, targeted residential areas in what locals describe as a "surgical and silent" operation before the chaos erupted.

According to local sources and security witnesses, the gunmen arrived in large numbers, riding motorcycles and wielding sophisticated weapons. They first descended on a residence in the Chikun Local Government Area, where they broke through the perimeter and snatched seven family members—primarily women and children—from their beds.

While the primary target appeared to be the Dargude family home, the attackers did not stop there. As they moved toward the outskirts of the village to make their escape into the nearby forest, they intercepted three other residents who were reportedly keeping watch or attempting to flee the initial commotion.

"We woke up to the sound of sporadic shooting, but by the time the youth organized to resist, they were already gone with the captives," said a community leader who requested anonymity for safety reasons. "They knew exactly which houses to hit. It’s a nightmare we can’t seem to wake up from."

The Kaduna State Police Command has officially confirmed the abduction, announcing that tactical squads have already been deployed to the area to restore order and lead the search. Currently, specialized anti-kidnapping units are combing the surrounding bushes and known transit routes in a high-stakes effort to locate the victims.

To bolster the operation, authorities have intensified their collaboration with local hunters and vigilante groups, leveraging their intimate knowledge of the terrain to track the bandits' movements more effectively.

This latest incident follows a string of similar attacks in the region over the past month, which has seen hundreds of people displaced and several others kidnapped for ransom. Southern Kaduna has long been a flashpoint for such violence, with criminal gangs—locally referred to as "bandits"—exploiting the dense forest cover to hide victims while negotiating hefty payouts from impoverished families.

Community activists and the Southern Kaduna Peoples Union (SOKAPU) have renewed their calls for the Federal Government to establish a permanent military presence in the area.

As of Monday evening, no group has officially claimed responsibility for the abduction, and no ransom demands have been communicated to the families. Relatives of the victims remain in a state of agonizing suspense, praying for the safe return of their loved ones from the "midnight terror" that has now become a grim reality of life in the region.