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Three people have been reportedly killed and several others kidnapped by bandits who attacked the Sabon Layi community in the Birnin-Gwari Local Government Area of Kaduna State.

Although the police and Birnin-Gwari local government authorities have yet to comment on the incident, a community leader, Anas Musa, confirmed the attack to Channels Television on Friday.

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He said that the bandits stormed Sabon Layi village at about 12pm on Thursday and started shooting sporadically, killing three farmers in the process.

He gave the names of the victims as Anas Sabonlayi, Abubakar Dankibiya, and Harisu Un-Guwar Lemu.

The Chairman of Birnin Gwari Emirate Progressive Union (BEPU), Usman Kasai, also confirmed the attack, saying they are trying to ascertain the exact number of those kidnapped and still with the bandits inside the forest.

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Kaduna is one of the North-Western states hit by banditry in the past few months.

Abductions for ransom and intercommunal attacks have been on the rise again after a brief calm period during the February and March elections for the presidency and governorship posts.

Mass kidnappings and bandit gangs in the northwest are just one of several security challenges facing President Bola Tinubu since his inauguration on May 29.

The military is also battling a grinding jihadist conflict in the northeast that has killed 40,000 since 2009, as well as simmering separatist tensions in the southeast of the country, where gunmen often target police.

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