At least six people have been killed and approximately 59 others abducted in separate attacks across communities in Katsina State. The latest incident occurred around 10:30 p.m. on Sunday at Layin Gara village in Funtua Local Government Area (LGA), where two individuals were killed and 16 others were taken.
A local resident, who wished to remain anonymous, informed our reporter that the attackers operated for several hours without encountering any resistance.
Earlier, on Saturday, bandits targeted Maikuma village in Dandume LGA, where they killed four people and kidnapped about 43 others.
Sources revealed that the assailants, armed with sophisticated weapons and riding motorcycles, raided the village in large numbers. “They went from house to house for hours before retreating into the forest with their captives,” one source said.
Dandume LGA Chairman Basiru Musa confirmed the attack to Daily Trust, stating, “There were over 100 of them. Their objective was to kill and abduct as many people as they could. They killed four and kidnapped around 43, though some reports suggest the number may be closer to 45 or even higher.”
He added, “When I was alerted about the potential attack, I contacted the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) and the local military unit. They responded quickly, but the security forces were unable to pursue the attackers beyond their designated areas and had to pull back when the bandits fled into the forest.”
The chairman expressed his concerns about the ongoing attacks and called on the government to ramp up efforts to tackle the security crisis.