Terrorists abduct over 80 in Katsina

Terrorists on Monday kidnapped over 80 people at Yar-Malamai village in Faskari Local Government Area of Katsina State.

This was barely 24 hours after the attackers had killed some soldiers at the military camp in the area.

A resident of the area Tuesday told our correspondent that the attackers returned to the village on Monday, abducted more than 80 people, looted shops and burnt houses during the operation that lasted for about 10 hours.

“The bandits attacked the community again, looting shops, burning houses and vehicles, and abducted many residents just hours after the soldiers left,” the resident said.

A political office holder in the area, who asked not to be named, confirmed the incident to Daily Trust.

He said continuous attacks had forced residents to desert the town.

“At the moment, only six houses are left standing in Yar-Malamai. The bandits kidnapped about 80 people, mostly women, and looted foodstuffs and other valuables.

“We are devastated and in dire need of food and shelter. We urge the government to assist us in any way possible.

“After the killing of some soldiers and a vigilante with others injured, the security operatives abandoned the area, and within a few hours, the bandits returned, burning houses and vehicles, and abducting women.

“Now, only six houses remain, and just one vehicle out of eight was not set ablaze,” he stated.

“We have reported the issue to our principals. We need the soldiers to come back and protect us,” he said.

As of the time of filing this report, there was no official statement from the government or the army regarding the latest incident.

However, the military high command on Tuesday confirmed the killing of four soldiers at Faskari LGA of Katsina on Sunday.

Daily Trust had reported how the terrorists attacked a military camp in the area and killed five soldiers and injured 11 others.

Reacting to our correspondent’s enquiry on Tuesday, the Director, Defence Media Operations, Major-General Edward Buba, clarified that the military recorded four casualties contrary to five reported in the media.

He said the soldiers were attached to Operation Hadarin Daji.

He said there were two ambushes, explaining that five soldiers, in the process of defending territorial integrity of Nigeria, sustained minor injuries in the second operation.

He said, “On 12 May 2024, troops of Operation HADARIN DAJI encountered 2 separate ambushes namely at Kuran Mota Village as well as along the road from   Alikere – Yarmalamai Village in Zamfara State.

“Though troops fought fiercely to extricate themselves from the situation, sadly, troops recorded casualties of 4 soldiers killed in action, while three were wounded in action in the first ambush.

“In the second ambush incident, five soldiers sustained minor injuries of gunshot wounds and the soldiers have been stabilised as they were evacuated to FOB Faskari for medication care.”

‘We’re tackling the terrorists’

Buba said despite setbacks, they have been on top of the situation.

According to him, “During the ambush, troops received support from the air component OP HADARIN DAJI as well as reinforcement from FOB YARMALIMAI.

“The joint effort of both forces dealt a severe blow to the coalition of terrorists that gathered in numerical strength to execute both ambushes.

“Accordingly, several of the terrorists were neutralised as they suffered heavy casualties. Troops have unlocked the change in tactics of these terrorists and made necessary adjustments to maintain tactical superiority in the battlefield.”