48 Hours After Army Rescued 7 Victims, Bandits Abduct 12 People in Kano

Ahmad Sorondinki in Kano.

In a disturbing turn of events, just two days after a joint operation by the 3 Brigade Nigerian Army, Nigerian Air Force, and Nigerian Police led to the rescue of 7 victims and the killing of a 60-year-old woman by bandits, another 25 people have been kidnapped in the same area in Kano State.

According to Babatunde Zubairu, Assistant Director of Army Public Relations, 3 Brigade, Nigerian Army, the bandits were engaged by the army but managed to escape towards Kankia LGA in Katsina State, and despite efforts to track them, their location remained elusive.

“The troops pursued the bandits along their withdrawal route towards Rimaye, engaged them with a high volume of fire, and swiftly rescued the abducted victims. However 4 of the kidnapped victims are still unaccounted for” he stated.

Meanwhile, 48 hours after the celebration of the rescue by the army, the community plunged into another sad situation following the abduction of another 12 residents in Unguwar Tsamiya in Faruruwa village and the Dabawa community, both in the Shanono Local Government Area of the state.

One of the community leaders, Alhaji Yahaya Bagobiri, told THISDAY in a telephone interview that around 7pm on Sunday night, some vigilante members informed them about bandits riding 23 motorbikes coming in their direction to attack them.

Bagobiri added that they quickly alerted the security agencies, but there was no response, even after 11pm when the bandits finished their operation and left the town with their abductees.

He added, “Throughout Sunday, there was no presence of any security personnel, and we had been calling to alert them before and after the operation, but none of the security agencies answered our call or came to our rescue,” he added.

The State Police Command, had announced that enforcement of the existing ban on the transportation of passengers on all forms of motorcycles and the restriction of commercial tricycles from operating between 10:00 pm and 6:00 am daily in Kano State as part of the effort to curtail the current insecurity in the state.