Bandit Attack Leaves Nine Dead, 50 Abducted, Houses, Car Burnt In Katsina

In a harrowing night-long ordeal, the town of Maidabino in Danmusa Local Government Area of Katsina State was besieged by a large group of bandits.

The violent raid, which lasted from 10 PM on Saturday until approximately 2:30 AM on Sunday, resulted in the tragic loss of nine lives and the abduction of 50 residents, primarily women and children.

A local resident, who requested anonymity for safety reasons, relayed to Daily Trust that the attackers operated with impunity, overwhelming local security measures due to their numbers.

The bandits’ rampage left a trail of destruction, including the torching of over 10 houses, 15 shops, and nine vehicles.

The Source said, “What happened was that some traders who were returning from Yantumaki market on Friday, about 30 vehicles, who were going in a convoy with a military escort, had to return and pass the night in Danmusa because they could not proceed to Maidabino as they encountered bandits along the way.”

“In the encounter, some bandits were killed by the military escort. Unfortunately, the bandits mobilized a large number from Zamfara and other places, to the extent that the soldiers that are in Maidabino could not avert the attack,” another source confirming the attack said.

Katsina, in recent days and weeks, had witnessed a resurgence of deadly bandits’ attacks, especially in the frontline local government areas of Kankara, Danmusa and others.

The police spokesman in Katsina, ASP Abubakar Sadiq Aliyu, who confirmed the incident to members of the press, said the investigation was ongoing into the matter as further developments would be communicated in due course.

Aliyu, however, said seven people were killed during the attack.