Armed bandits have killed one resident, injured at least seven and abducted 32 others during an attack on the Shuwaki community in the Bakori local government area of Katsina state.
The attackers later released an indisposed woman who could not continue the forced journey, leaving 31 people in captivity, most of them women, according to a former chairman of the local government area.
The raid was the latest in neighbouring communities in Bakori, some of which have forced residents to flee their homes and raised concerns about farming and other economic activities in the area.
Mahadi Guga, a resident of Guga who has been documenting attacks in the area, said Unguwar Dogo and Alhazawa were attacked the previous night to the attack on Shuwaki.
Mr Guga said several other communities in Bakori had been attacked since late July, resulting in deaths, abductions and livestock theft.
Aminu Magaji, a former chairman of Bakori Local Government Area, provided details of the Shuwaki attack in an interview broadcast by JBC Hausa.
Magaji said the attackers entered Shuwaki, in Jargaba Ward, between 9 p.m. and 9.45 p.m. and operated for between one and a half and two hours.
“They killed one person and injured at least seven others whom they shot,” he said in Hausa.
“They also took cattle and sheep and abducted 32 people.”
Mr Magaji said the attackers later released one of the abducted women near Doma village because she was ill and unable to continue walking.
He added that information received from Doma indicated that the attackers proceeded towards the forest with the remaining captives.
Mr Magaji said women were the majority of the 31 people still being held, some of them carrying infants.
He did not clarify whether the infants were included in the figure.
No communication or ransom demand had been received from the attackers at the time of the interview, Mr Magaji said. (Premium Times)