Driver shot dead as gunmen abduct three UTME candidates, baby in Kaduna

Some gunmen have abducted three candidates of the 2020 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) in a fresh attack in Kaduna.

Mohammed Jalinge, the state’s police public relations officer, confirmed on Tuesday while speaking on the attack that occurred at the Ungwan Yako village, in Birni Gwari LGA.

Jalinge gave the names of the candidates as Yusuf Sani, Ummi Sani, and Umairah Mustapha, adding that a fourth person, who happened to be a less than two-year-old baby, was also abducted.

He said that the abducted UTME candidates were caught in the raid after they had visited the locality to sit for their examination in the north-western state.

“Yes, the incident happened on Saturday evening, after the candidates had finished writing their exams in Kaduna. The driver was shot to death and four others were kidnapped,” he told TheCable Lifestyle.

“We engaged the perpetrators in a gun duel after which we recovered one of their motorcycles. More men have been deployed to the locality to apprehend the perpetrators of this act.”

“The commissioner directed for more deployments on the Kaduna-Birnin Gwari Road and one Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC) is headed for that area. We’re currently working on it.”

Northwestern Nigeria has been among the worst-hit regions in terms of kidnappings and gunmen attacks.

In August 2019, the federal government had revealed that 1,460 people were killed by gunmen in seven months.