Terrorists kill two, abduct 23 in separate attacks in Zamfara, Katsina

At least 22 residents, including men, women and children, were abducted in a night raid by terrorists in Runka, Safana area of Katsina State on Saturday.

In a separate incident in neighbouring Zamfara State late on Sunday, terrorists killed two security guards and kidnapped one person when they attacked the house of a famous businessman in the Gusau city centre on Sunday.

Sulaiman Ishaq, whose brother Salim was kidnapped in the Zamfara incident, said, “Surprisingly, the bandits drove on their motorcycles deep into the city centre and attacked our house in Kofar Jange.”

“The bandits shot down two of our watchmen who tried to repel them, after which they gained access into the house and took away our brother.”

Kofar Jange is one of the oldest communities in the Zamfara capital, Gusau.

In the last few months, terrorists, locally called bandits, have launched attacks on different communities in Gusau. However, previous attacks occurred on the Gusau outskirts, unlike on Sunday. Many people have been killed and kidnapped in the earlier attacks.

House-to-house search in Katsina

In the Runka attack in Katsina, PREMIUM TIMES gathered from residents that the terrorists stormed the community around 1:00 a.m.

Both the local government chairperson, Abdullahi Sani, and the House of Assembly deputy speaker, Abduljalal Runka, confirmed the attack to journalists in Katsina on Saturday.

The terrorists stormed the village when residents were asleep.

“The terrorists took security agents in the area unaware and infiltrated Runka community when people were sleeping. The terrorists made strategic plans and took over all exit and entry routes of the community, thereby making it hard for security agents to support the residents.

“The attack was tragic and well planned because the terrorists conducted house-to-house searches and took away 22 residents, including men, women and children. In one house, the terrorists took away 13 people,” Mr Runka said.

Mr Sani, the council chairman, said several residents who fled the community immediately after the attack have returned but “we’ve confirmed that 22 people are still not accounted for.”

Runka shares boundaries with the Rugu forest, which makes the community vulnerable to terror attacks.

Zamfara and Katsina are some of the states in the north-west battling a decade-long terrorism that has led to the death and displacement of hundreds of thousands of people. Various terror groups operate in the region despite the efforts of security agencies.