No fewer than 30 children have been reportedly adopted by terrorists in Kasai village, Batsari Local Government Area of Katsina State.
According to reports gathered through telephone call from one of the residents, the incident was said to have happened on the early hours of Monday.
In his words “Yes, the attack occurred yesterday Monday in the morning hours. It all began when the children numbering up to thirty went behind the Kasai village to secure firewood which, their parents would use to cook food for them.
“Unfortunately, some suspected bandits intercepted them and took them to an unknown destination.
“We do hope and pray that peace and security will be restored in our state”, he added.
Batsari local government in Katsina have experienced similar attacks in recent time and have not recovered from the trauma, yet another one happened again.
Similar Incidents
Recall that on February 2024, similar incident happened when bandits were reported to have stormed a village called Tarshar Nagule in the Batsari local government area in military uniform and kidnapped both men, women and children totaling up to 31 as revealed by a source.
The source explained that the assailants had first besieged the community before sending some of their men through the main entrance to kidnap the villagers, while their motorcycles were left outside the community.
“I was sitting outside with some of my friends around 9pm when we first heard gunshots. We stood up to run from the place but the terrorists shouted that we should stop because they were security agents sent to protect us.
“They knew that when they said they were policemen or soldiers sent to protect us, we will believe them, and that was what happened,” the source narrated.
The source reiterated that residents were deceived and began to gather at the village square, not knowing that the intruders, some of whom wore military camouflage, were not security operatives but bandits.
“As of now (Monday morning), we have counted 31 people who had been taken away. Some of them were abducted when they ran outside into the bush because several terrorists were stationed outside the village to lay ambush.”
Recall that the house of representatives had earlier called on president Ahmed Tinubu to address the Katsina bandits attack, as it has become worrisome.
Hon. Sada Soli who moved a motion during a plenary in Abuja, expressed great concerns about the devastating impact of banditry on the lives and livelihoods of people of Katsina State, adding that the escalating banditry attacks in Katsina State has resulted to loss of lives, destruction of properties and kidnapping of innocent men, women, and children every blessed day.
