Gunmen abduct 80 Katsina students in fresh attack

Etim Effiong 

The police in Katsina on Sunday said 80 pupils of Hizburrahim Islamiyya, an Islamic school in Mahuta, Dandume Local Government Area of the state were kidnapped in a fresh attack on Saturday night. 

The police added that the students and another four victims were, however, rescued. 

The incident occurs days after the rescue of 344 students abducted from Government Science Secondary School in Kankara, Katsina. 

It was gathered that the 80 students were returning from an Islamic occasion when they ran into the bandits who had earlier kidnapped four victims and rustled some cows. 

According to the police, there was no casualty during the gun duel with the bandits. 

The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Gambo Isah in a statement said the investigation had commenced. 

 “On 19/12/2020 at about 2200hrs, a distress call was received by DPO Dandume, that some Islamiyya Students of Hizburrahim Islamiyya, Mahuta village, Dandume LGA of Katsina state, numbering about 80, while on their way back from Maulud occasion celebrated at Unguwan Alkasim village, Dandume to Mahuta village, were accosted by bandits who had already kidnapped four persons and rustled 12 cows from Danbaure village, Funtua LGA, trying to escape into the forest. 

“On receipt of the report, the DPO led Operations Puff Adder, Sharan Daji and Vigilante group to the area and engaged the bandits into a fierce gun duel. 

“Subsequently, the teams succeeded in dislodging the bandits and rescued all the 84 kidnapped victims and recovered all the 12 rustled cows. Search parties are still combing the area with a view of arresting the injured bandits and/or recovery of their dead bodies. The investigation is ongoing.”