Armed bandits have abducted about 60 persons, mostly children, in the border communities of Zamfara and Katsina states.
The affected victims are from the Kucheri, Wanzamai, and Danwuri communities of Tsafe Local Government Area of Zamfara State, and Yankara town in Faskari Local Government Area of Katsina State.
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The incidents happened early hours of Friday when the terrorists were moving from Sububu Forest in Zamfara State to neighbouring Birnin-Gwari Forest in Kaduna State.
Although police authorities in the state are yet to confirm the incident, Channels Television gathered that the terrorists were fleeing Zamfara territory due to heavy military bombardment that led to the killing of over 100 bandits within the week.
A resident of Tsafe, Ahmad Kucheri, told Channels Television that the fleeing bandits who suffered heavy casualties from the military were abducting people they sight along their way out of the state.
He said most of the people abducted were picked inside their various farms, some children that were fetching firewood and local fertilizers in the bush, and some workers in local mining sites.
“The bandits were moving from Sububu Forest to Birnin-Gwari side. So, they see people in the bush fetching firewood, they picked them, some children that are picking local fertilizers, some that are doing mining work, they gathered all of them and moved them to Birnin-Gwari side to Niger State,” he said.
“They did not shoot or kill anybody, they just gathered people and not only children but anybody also they see along their way.”
The spokesperson of the Zamfara State Police Command, CSP Mohammed Shehu, did not respond to several calls or text messages sent to him
The Zamfara State Commissioner for Security, a retired Deputy Inspector General of Police, Mamman Tsafe, who is also from the local government area, did not respond to phone calls put across to him.
