Dozens of people, including mostly children, have been abducted by armed bandits in border communities of Zamfara and Katsina states.
The affected victims are from Kucheri, Wanzamai, and Danwuri communities of Tsafe Local Government Area in Zamfara State, as well as Yankara town in Faskari Local Government Area in Katsina State.
The incidents occurred on Friday morning as the terrorists were moving from Sububu Forest in Zamfara State to the neighbouring Birnin-Gwari Forest in Kaduna State.
While police authorities in the state have not confirmed the incident, it is believed that the terrorists were fleeing the Zamfara area due to heavy military bombardment that had resulted in the killing of over 100 bandits within the week.
According to a resident of Tsafe, Ahmad Kucheri, the fleeing bandits, who had suffered heavy casualties from the military, abducted people they came across on their way out of the state, including those on their farms, children fetching firewood and local fertilizers in the bush, and workers at local mining sites. The bandits did not harm anyone but gathered the people and moved them to Birnin-Gwari in Niger State.
The spokesperson of the Zamfara State Police Command, CSP Mohammed Shehu, did not respond to several calls or text messages sent to him, and the Zamfara State Commissioner for Security, Mamman Tsafe, did not answer phone calls put across to him.
