Gunmen believed to be terrorists have abducted at least 30 young girls in Kasai community, located in the Batsari Local Government Area of Katsina State.
Sani Mohammed, a resident of the area, told the press during a telephone conversation on Tuesday that the captives were taken from a neighboring farmland as they scoured for firewood for household purposes on Monday.
Mohammed, whose son Adamu is among those abducted, recounted that the victims were ambushed by motorcycle-riding terrorists who swiftly took them to an undisclosed location.
He said: ‘Yesterday (Monday) our children numbering over 30 went to our nearby farms for their usual search of firewood for cooking but they were ambushed by bandits who were crossing the community to their hideouts.
‘They (bandits) kidnapped 30 children that went to the bush in search of the firewood. We had the voices of our children screaming for help so we mobilised and went there but the bandits overpowered us.’
He detailed the collective endeavor of locals working alongside vigilante groups to liberate the kidnapped children from their captors, only to be thwarted as the criminals unleashed random gunfire into the air, instilling fear and hindering rescue attempts.
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Narrating the events, Mohammed detailed how the hooligans forcibly marched the 34 hostages, abducted from various farmlands, to their hideaways, pointing out the belated arrival of security forces, who responded hours later despite repeated distress calls to both the police and Nigerian Army.
He further elaborated that Kasai, once teeming with agricultural activity, now stands desolate, with sparse inhabitants, as both roads and farmlands are frequently bypassed due to the pervasive threat of kidnappings and violence inflicted by criminal elements.
Despite the challenges, the state police command has declared a significant victory, with the rescue of 28 out of the 30 children kidnapped by the terrorists operating in the locality.
The Public Relations Officer of the command, ASP Abubakar Aliyu, affirmed in an official statement that the victims were safely rescued unharmed by the command’s operatives, who were dispatched to the scene of the incident under the directive of the state Commissioner of Police, Aliyu Musa.
The statement read: ‘On the 1st of April, 2024, at about 1030 hrs, about 28 girls who went to the outskirts of Kasai village, Batsari LGA, Katsina State, with intent to fetch firewood, were abducted by kidnappers.
‘Upon receipt of the report, the Commissioner of Police, Katsina State Police Command, CP Aliyu Abubakar Musa, psc+, swiftly deployed operatives to the scene, tasked with the unhurt rescue of the victims.
‘The abductors, following the escalation of pressure and the concerted actions of the command in collaboration with all relevant security stakeholders in the state, ultimately released all the victims on the same day at about 2240hrs.’