Security forces foil fresh attack, abduction in Katsina’s Islamic school

By BASHIR ADEFAKA

Feelers from Katsina have it that fresh invasion of an Islamic school where abduction of over 80 students was attempted has been repealed by security agents.

The foiled abduction in Nigeria’s North Western state of Katsina came less than two days after the release of 344 schoolboys, who were kidnapped in the same area last week Friday precisely December 11, 2020.

The incidents have highlighted the insecurity in Northern Nigeria, which questions claims by Christian Association of Nigeria and United States of America President Donald Trump, who have been accusing President Muhammadu Buhari for running Islamisation and Northernisation agenda in the country.

This, our findings revealed, is because the Northern region and Muslim Ummah have, unfortunately, been the major targets of the Boko Haram terrorism in the country, especially as its branch, the banditry operates more in the core North killing Muslims in their scores.

Saturday night’s attempted kidnapping took place in Dandume, about 64 kilometres (40 miles) from Kankara, the town where the earlier kidnapping of schoolboys occurred.

The bandits, who have been confirmed by reported video after the first incident, to be truly Boko Haram terrorists, had already abducted, reportedly, four people and stolen a dozen cows when they ran into the schoolchildren, who were on their way home from a celebration, Katsina State Police spokesman, Gambo Isah, said on Sunday.

Police and a local community self-defence group rescued the children from the bandits after a gunfight, he said.

“The teams succeeded in dislodging the bandits and rescued all the 84 kidnapped victims and recovered all the 12 rustled cows,” Isah said in a statement.

“Search parties are still combing the area with a view of arresting the injured bandits and/or the recovery of their dead bodies.”

The DEFENDER’s text seeking confirmation and angle of the Nigerian Army to the foiled abduction was yet to be returned at press time.

Violence hotspot

Dandume, an area bordering the Northern part of Kaduna State, is one of the region’s hotspots for banditry and kidnapping, according to residents.

“Dandume is a no-go-area for many of us because of the high level of crimes and insecurity being perpetrated by armed bandits,” said Saidu Lawal, an official of a local civic group in Katsina, reportedly said.

“Despite government efforts to open up the area by constructing roads leading from the metropolitan locations to the hinterlands of Dandume … the banditry still persists,” said Lawal.

“On many occasions, the bandits block the Dandume-Sabuwa highways to attack travellers. It was based on that reason that many people have abandoned the new route.”