Bandits Kidnap 80 Villagers In Katsina

Hundreds of residents from Kwari village have fled their small community and taken refuge in a primary school in Jibiya town the headquarters of Jibiya Local Government Area of Katsina State as a result of the invasion by the bandits.

It was gathered that over 80 people were kidnapped and taken to a forest by the invaders.

Speaking in an interview with the BBC Hausa Service on Thursday, one of the women who escaped the onslaught narrated how they were forced to leave the village by the hoodlums.

She said ”they came with full force at 5.30 pm on Wednesday and invaded us, we were not aware of their coming. They opened fire, shot sporadically and burnt down shops and our food barns.”

“They kidnapped people, men and women, little children who cannot even talk. They took them to the forest. They took about 80 people to the forest.

“We did a head count later, we found that about 80 of our people were taken away by the bandits. They are these bush Fulani people; they took even pregnant women away,” she stated.

On how she and others escaped, she said they had to run away from Kwari village and moved to the central primary school in Jibiya town.

”We are here lying down in a humiliating manner. Not even mats to lie on. We are all lying on the bare ground.“

”When the bandits left, we looked and found out that those taken away were up to 80. In some houses, they took 5, 10 and took them to the forest . Even our little children.”

Narrating their ordeal she disclosed they need help.

”Truly, we are in need of help. We need assistance because we are in a pitiable condition . Please help us, Wallahi some husbands don’t know where their wives are. Some wives cannot find their husbands. Children cannot find their mothers, some mothers don’t know where their children are,” she said.

According to BBC reports attempt to get the police spokesman SP Gambo Isa to respond to their inquiries was not possible.