Bandits abduct brothers in Kaduna, release Katsina clan head

There was pandemonium in Kaduna State, yesterday, in Rigachikun Community of Igabi Local Council of Kaduna State, as bandits abducted two brothers in the area around 12:45 a.m.

The bandits shot sporadically to scare residents away before fleeing with the two teenagers, said a resident, Idris Rigachikun.

He noted that the last time bandits attacked the community was last year.

When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Mohammed Jalige, said he would find out details of the incident.

HOWEVER, in Danmusa Local Council of Katsina State, bandits, who abducted a community leader, the Magajin Garin Danmusa, Alhaji Sani Ma’azu, have released him on sympathy grounds.

Ma’azu, 62, was abducted on Tuesday morning when he visited his farmland to supervise his labourers.

His relation, Abbas Nasir, who confirmed the development, said the traditional leader was released the next day by his abductors.

“The bandits had stormed Ma’azu’s farmland while he was supervising an ongoing work by labourers. Armed and in their numbers, they collected his phone and money before moving him into the forest.

“But some of the bandits in the forest, who knew Ma’azu, begged their colleagues to set him free,” he stated.

The pleas, he added, led the bandits to set him free and gave him back his phone.

MEANWHILE, troops of Sector 2 Joint Task Force, Operation Hadin Kai (OPHK), have arrested a high profile Boko Haram member and raided the group’s Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) materials hub in Damboa and Gashua local councils of Borno and Yobe states respectively.

The feats, according to an army spokesman, Brig-Gen. Onyema Nwachukwu was recorded following robust operations conducted by troops of OPHK.

Following a tip-off, the wanted terrorist, Yawi Modu, who had been on a wanted list, was nabbed along Damboa–Wajiroko road.

In a sting operation, 281 bags of 50kg Urea were recovered from warehouses and two notorious distributors were also arrested.

Government banned Urea fertiliser because of its use to manufacture IEDs by terrorists.

Commending the vigilance and resilience of the troops, the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt-Gen. Faruk Yahaya reassured them of his support in decimating the terrorists.

IN a related development, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), National Orientation Agency (NOA) and National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have raised the alarm over the increasing rate of crime in the country.

The government agencies made this known during the national workshops on security themed ‘Building a Secure and Safer Nigeria for All’ organised by NOA, in Abuja.

Speaking at the event, the Commandant-General of NSCDC, Dr. Ahmed Audi, attributed the high rate of insecurity to drug abuse among youths.

Therefore, the Director-General of NOA, Dr. Garba Abari, appealed to Nigerians to eschew all forms of violence and live in peace with one another.