Armed bandits have killed one resident, injured no fewer than seven others and abducted 31 people in the latest assault on the Shuwaki community in Bakori Local Council Area of Katsina State, raising fresh concerns over worsening insecurity and mass displacement.
The attack, which occurred on Saturday night, was the latest in a string of raids targeting communities in Bakori, where residents have faced repeated killings, kidnappings and livestock theft in recent weeks.
Former chairman of the council, Aminu Magaji, said the attackers invaded Shuwaki between 9 p.m. and 9:45 p.m., operating for nearly two hours, adding that the gunmen also rustled cattle and sheep.
According to him, the attackers later released one of the abducted women near Doma Village after she became too ill to continue the trek into the forest, leaving 31 people still in captivity, most of them women, some of whom are reportedly with infants.
Magaji said security agencies were alerted while the attack was underway, explaining that police officers, soldiers and members of the Katsina Community Watch Corps mobilised to intercept the attackers but failed to rescue the victims or prevent their escape.
He added that the assailants also stole residents’ mobile phones and devices from charging centres, while no ransom demand or communication had yet been received.
The latest raid followed attacks on Unguwar Dogo and Alhazawa communities, where residents were injured and livestock stolen. Local sources said repeated attacks since late July have forced many families to flee their homes for safer areas, while others remain gripped by fear.
Meanwhile, community leaders have warned that the persistent attacks were threatening farming activities, while repeated cattle rustling has deprived many farmers of the animals used for cultivation.
MEANWHILE, the Berom Youth Moulders Association (BYM) has expressed sadness at what it called another round of Sunday night terror attack, which claimed the life of a former legislator of Riyom Local Council Area.
Local sources in the affected villages in Torok said the former councillor, Daniel Danjuma Chong, was murdered by suspected armed Fulani and hired bandits, who invaded the village at about 10:45 pm on Sunday.
“The attackers, who reportedly came from Kess, a Fulani settlement popularly known as Bangai-Fulani, invaded the community at about 11:00 pm, shooting sporadically, inflicted a fatal gunshot injury on Mr David Danjuma before fleeing the scene back to Bangai-Fulani,” the BYM National Publicity Secretary, Rwang Tengwon, said yesterday.
BYM, while condoling with the family of the deceased and the community, called on security agencies and the Plateau State Government not only to immediately arrest the perpetrators but also to dislodge all terrorist enclaves within Bangai-Fulani if Plateau State and its environs would know peace.
The BYM also called for an outright ban on open grazing, which it said had continually been abused as a cover for terrorism and banditry in Riyom and the state at large.
In the meantime, Justice Faruku Bunza of the Kebbi State High Court, who was abducted by bandits a week ago, has regained freedom and returned home safely, bringing relief to his family and the state’s judiciary.
A family member confirmed his release yesterday, saying he arrived home a few hours before speaking with newsmen,” the family member said. “We are in jubilation and full of gratitude to God for seeing our own return safely from captivity.”
The family also expressed appreciation to the Kebbi State Judiciary, security agencies and residents of the state for their support, prayers and solidarity throughout the period of the judge’s captivity.
It added that the details of the circumstances of Bunza’s release would be made public later.
Meanwhile, as of the time of filing this report, neither the Kebbi State Judiciary nor security agencies had issued an official statement on the judge’s release.
