Terrorists abduct nine travellers on Katsina road

Suspected bandits on Friday evening blocked the Bakori–Guga road in Katsina State and abducted at least nine travellers returning from the weekly Bakori market.

The attack reportedly occurred around 5 p.m. at Dawan La’ila, a stretch linking Bakori and Guga communities, where the gunmen intercepted a vehicle conveying passengers from the market.

A community leader, Mahadi Danbita, confirmed the incident in a telephone interview on Saturday, stating that the attackers stopped the vehicle and whisked away nine passengers.

According to him, four of the abductees are residents of Guga, while the remaining five are from Kakumi, a neighbouring community located about nine kilometres away.

“They attacked people returning from the market. They abducted nine people. We are still gathering information from the affected families and some people who managed to escape,” Danbita said.

He added that the assailants also robbed passengers of cash, mobile phones, and other valuables.

Danbita further disclosed that residents reported one person was killed and another injured during the attack, although this could not be independently verified as of the time of filing this report.

The attacked vehicle was later recovered and taken to the Guga Primary Healthcare Centre.

He also identified four of the abductees as Sagir Mani Danmadami, Babangida Dangwaggo, Bala Magaji, and Abdullahi Muh’d Dabo, while the identities of the remaining victims were yet to be confirmed.

Danbita noted that the latest incident followed a series of attacks targeting farmers and commuters in communities around Guga.

He said armed men had earlier attacked farmers in the week, abducting several people and making away with motorcycles, mobile phones, and other valuables.

The community leader also revealed that about 125 local hunters had recently been deployed to Guga to support existing security personnel, including forest guards and other operatives.

He speculated that the increased security presence may have triggered the latest attack, although no evidence has been provided to substantiate the claim.

Efforts to obtain confirmation from the Katsina State Police Command were unsuccessful as of the time of filing this report.

Southern Katsina has experienced repeated attacks by armed groups in recent years, with commuters, farmers, and rural communities frequently targeted despite ongoing security operations.