In an attack that occurred early Saturday afternoon, gunmen opened fire at Kaduna International Airport in northern Nigeria. According to Reuters, one person was left dead.

Employees of the airport reported that the armed men approached the airport from a nearby wooded area and accessed the grounds via a fence on the perimeter. They then began sporadically shooting. A security guard was shot and killed after spotting the intruders and raising the alarm.

A member of the ground crew who had been working at the time said, “They opened fire on the NAMA (Nigerian Airspace Management Agency) security staff, killing him instantly and tried to invade the runway to prevent (an) aircraft from taking off.”

Take-off of a commercial aircraft bound for Lagos was allegedly delayed due to the incident. Airport security guards were able to thwart the attackers’ attempt to enter the complex of the main airport. A security source told Africa News the bandits likely aimed to abduct airport staff or passengers.

“Security personnel have done their utmost to prevent the bandits from entering the airport since last night,” the source also said.

The incident is one in a series of violent attacks that have been taking place in central and northwestern Nigeria recently at the hands of gangs referred to by locals as “bandits.” In addition to the abduction of hundreds of children, members of these gangs have caused widespread fear and chaos by looting, killing villagers and security personnel, and holding innocent people for ransom in their spree of terror.

Sadly, this is not the first time bandits have attacked Kaduna International Airport. Last March, gunmen gained access to the airport’s staff quarters, kidnapping around 12 people, according to Vanguard.

Related: Security Checkpoint Closes For Two Hours After TSA Officers Attacked By Man At Phoenix Airport

kaduna, nigeria

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