Six dead over 130 abducted in three days by bandits in Katsina

Within just three days this week, armed bandits have slain six residents and taken more than 130 individuals hostage across multiple villages in Sabuwa Local Government Area, Katsina State.

Late Sunday night around 11 pm, assailants launched a brutal raid on DanKurmi village near Damari road, where they spent hours ransacking homes. Residents recounted how entire families, husbands, wives, and children, were seized, alongside valuables like motorcycles and food supplies. By the end of the harrowing ordeal, at least 79 people were seized and four were killed, including a young child whose grieving mother remains hospitalized.

The violence was not isolated to DanKurmi alone. Other nearby villages such as Gamji experienced similar attacks, with two fatalities and 31 people taken captive. In Tsaunin Jino, 27 people were also abducted, while additional seizures occurred in communities like Unguwar Goje, Unguwar Sani, and Zagi-Zagi. Combining all figures, estimates suggest close to 200 victims remain under the control of these criminals.

Efforts to reach local officials, including the Sabuwa chairman and regional lawmakers, were unsuccessful. However, an anonymous government insider confirmed these tragic events and revealed that local representatives were currently in the state capital to strategize on countermeasures against this threat.

The source further explained that earlier this rainy season, bandits had proposed a ceasefire deal promising safe farming activities. Yet, skepticism about the advantages and consequences has delayed the acceptance of such proposals. Recent raids are interpreted as attempts to pressure community leadership into agreeing to their terms.

Military forces have shifted troops after a deadly ambush on a soldiers’ outpost in Dankolo, where three soldiers lost their lives and military vehicles were destroyed. According to this source, these redeployments have inadvertently granted the bandits freer access to vulnerable villages, exacerbating the insecurity.

Appealing for support, the official urged state authorities and the military command to restore troops to prior strategic positions to curb further attacks.

The wave of violence gripping the Sabuwa Local Government calls for the urgent reinforcement of security personnel and clear strategies to protect vulnerable communities.