Armed bandits abducted approximately 60 people, mostly children, in border communities in Zamfara and Katsina states.
The victims are from the communities of Kucheri, Wanzamai, and Danwuri in Zamfara State’s Tsafe Local Government Area, and Yankara in Katsina State’s Faskari Local Government Area.
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, According to sources, 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, said 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.”