TheCable

Gunmen have attacked the staff quarters of the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) in Kaduna. 

Henrietta Yakubu, FAAN spokesperson, confirmed the incident to TheCable.

She said the suspected bandits attacked on Saturday morning, and abducted a number of the staff.

“They went away with about nine of our staff and their family members at the quarters,” she said.

When contacted, Mohammed Jalige, police spokesman in the state, said he would get back as soon as he had details of the attack.

Some residents said the cry from the victims had attracted the military personnel nearby who engaged the bandits in a gun battle.

The face-off was said to have lasted for hours, but the bandits eventually made away with the victims on motorcycles.

A source told TheCable that the gunmen gained access by vandalising the perimeter fence between the airport and the staff quarters.

He said the bandits attacked two houses and abducted 11 persons.

“The gunmen invaded the staff quarters at about 2am and attacked two houses,” he said.

The houses of a staff of Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) and a staff of the Nigeria Meteorological Agency (NIMET) were said to have been attacked.

The source said: “The bandits abducted nine members of the family of the  NAMA staff and the wife and son of the NIMet staff.

“The staff quarters is located before the tollgate to the airport. It is all fenced, but bandits tampered with the fence and entered the staff quarters.

“They came in through the land side where flights operate.”

Kaduna, over the months, has suffered series of attacks from bandits.

In February, 23 persons were killed in attacks in five LGAs while there have been multiple incidents of attacks and killings in March.