By Mike Odeh James and Luka Binniyat.
(Kaduna) – Fulani terrorists struck in two separate counties within days, abducting a naval officer, his wife, and a schoolgirl in Kachia town, Kachia County, Southern Kaduna, about 65 miles South of Kaduna town.
This is even as local community volunteer guards put stiff resistance to invading armed Fulani militia repelling multiple armed raids in Maro community, Kajuru County (Local Government Area) about 32 miles South of Kaduna town, locals confirmed to TruthNigeria, Thursday (22nd August 2025)
Kachia: Naval Officer, Wife, and Schoolgirl Seized
In the early hours of August 20, 2025, Fulani Ethnic Militia stormed Angwan Mission II, Kachia town, seizing a naval officer, his wife, and a 12-year-old schoolgirl, according to reports reaching TruthNigeria.
For the family of Helen Bitrus, the night began like any other. The 12-year-old, a pupil of Rehab Primary School, had been unwell for days, yet insisted on revising her notes for an upcoming vacation lesson, said Samson Hezekiah Dele, an eyewitness, told our reporters from Kachia Thursday.
“At around 1:00 a.m., the peace of Kachia was shattered by the roar of motorcycles. At least ten Fulani militants, riding in pairs and speaking in Fulfulde, fanned into the compound behind the Zonal Education Office in Kachia,” Dele said.
“They were speaking Fulfulde and shooting into the air. All of them carried weapons,” he said.
The armed men stormed the flat of Mr. Enoch Tunji, a naval officer scheduled to relocate to Lokoja the next morning.
Other witnesses said Tunji resisted but was quickly subdued and tied up along with his wife Margaret and dragged outside.
Not satisfied, the terrorists seized young Helen Bitrus, the only daughter in her family, who are neighbors of the abducted Naval officer and carried her off shouting “Allahu Akbar.”
“The whole attack lasted less than half an hour,” said neighbor Mrs. Christiana Shock Williams. By dawn, three lives had been torn from their homes — a naval officer snatched on the eve of his posting, his wife taken alongside him, and a child stolen from her sickbed.
Kajuru: Villagers Push Back with Vigilante Resistance
While Kachia was reeling, Kajuru County was still recovering from a string of bloody raids that left communities in Maro precinct under siege.
On July 14, 2025, Fulani militants attacked Ugakala village, opening fire on residents at about 8:30 a.m. Mr. Francis, a villager, was shot and later died in hospital. But local youths, supported by soldiers, pursued the attackers and seized three motorcycles, forcing them into retreat, said Salisu Emmanuel to TruthNigeria Thursday from Kajuru town.
In another incident, Fulani terrorists raided Bauda village, abducting Mrs. Juliana Audu. Volunteer guards, (called “Vigilantes”) confronted the militia, killing four and preventing further abductions, he told TruthNigeria.
The latest assault came on August 18, 2025, when the Fulani Ethnic Militia stormed Maro precinct, shooting and wounding a vigilante and abducting five villagers. But the militants met stiff resistance.
“We killed one of the militants,” said Emmanuel, a member of the self-defense force. “The rest abandoned their motorcycles and fled into the bush.”
The counterattack by community guards and soldiers blunted the raid, preventing what could have been a mass tragedy.
A Region Under Siege
The attacks illustrate the grim pattern unfolding across predominantly Christian Southern Kaduna: organized Fulani terrorists targeting communities at will, while under-resourced villages rally around self-defense groups to stave off disaster.
For families such as those of Helen Bitrus in Kachia, the terror lies in abduction and uncertainty. For communities such as Maro and Ugakala, survival now depends on untrained citizens picking up homemade arms alongside the army to defend their villages.
Timeline of Recent Southern Kaduna Attacks Tracked by TruthNigeria
· July 14, 2025 – Ugakala (Maro precinct, Kajuru County): 1 villager killed (Mr. Francis); community guards and soldiers seized 3 motorcycles from Fulani militants.
· Date unspecified – Bauda (Kajuru County): Mrs. Juliana Audu abducted; community guards killed 4 Fulani terrorists.
· August 18, 2025 – Maro precinct (Kajuru County): 1 volunteer guard injured, 5 villagers abducted; vigilantes and soldiers killed 1 Fulani militant, others fled abandoning motorcycles.
· August 20, 2025 – Kachia town (Kachia County): Naval officer Mr. Enoch Tunji, wife Margaret, and schoolgirl Helen Bitrus abducted by Fulani Ethnic Militia.
Luka Binniyat and Mike Odeh James are conflict reporters for TruthNigeria reporting from Southern Kaduna.
