How my dogs saved me during deadly bandits’ attack – Kaduna-based journalist

Forty-year-old Radio Nigeria journalist in Kaduna State, James Ogbu, speaks with DANIEL AYANTOYE about how suspected bandits attacked him near his residence, and how his dogs rescued him You were recently attacked by some bandits. How did it happen? I closed from work on Wednesday (May 13, 2026). As you know, I am a broadcast journalist with Radio Nigeria. So, I left for Good Times, where I normally pick up my dog food. I wanted to take a motorcycle, but I noticed how the rider was all over me and appeared too nice. So, I declined and moved forward to another bike. I boarded the bike, and when it approached my place, I stopped because I don’t usually take them to my house. That was between 9 pm and 9:30 pm. I then began to trek to my place, about a four-minute walk, when I suddenly saw a bike approaching me at full speed. The next thing, they stopped, and one immediately came down and hit me on the head with a knife. How did you react to this action? I was shocked. Immediately, I switched to self-defence because I didn’t know what was happening. So, I grabbed him and gave him a head butt. Both of us then fell down. I held him down so that people would come out to save me. The other one who was riding the bike also came down and started hitting me with a stone. He used a big stone to hit my nose, face, teeth, eyes, and everywhere he could reach. I was shouting, but people could not come out. However, my two dogs heard and came out. The dogs started barking, bit one of them, and that was when they left me and zoomed off. I was bleeding heavily. People later came out and rushed me to the hospital. When the hospital noticed that too much blood was coming out of my nose, eyes, and other parts, they referred me to another hospital. I am currently at a private clinic (May 16, 2026). It was the dogs that saved me; neighbours could not come out to save me. The hoodlums wanted to assassinate me. What do you think was the reason why your neighbours didn’t come out when you were shouting? They actually came out after the guys had run away. My closest neighbour was not at home because he had gone out to watch a football match. I couldn’t tell if the one directly opposite me, who has a large fence, was at home. It was the far neighbours that came out; it was not intentional that they didn’t come out. I believe anything that wants to happen will happen. This is just the way God has designed it. I thank God I didn’t die. Was your family not at home when this happened? They were not at home. One of my children had just finished his examination and signed off at KadPoly.