- Bandits also struck in Batsari, Katsina State, killed three persons
Bandits continued their raids in Northwest Nigerian schools as they invaded the Islamiyya School in Sakkai village, Faskari Local Government Area (LGA) of Katsina State abducting pupils.
This is just as another set of bandits released a heartrending video showing students abducted from College of Agriculture and Animal Science in Zamfara State last Sunday, with the student hostages pleading with federal and State governments to negotiate their release.
Though details of the invasion and abduction are still sketchy, sources said that eight pupils and one teacher were kidnapped as they were attending evening lesson within the school premises.
The bandits also struck in Batsari town, headquarters of Batsari Local Government Area of Katsina, killing three persons and abducting eight others.
A resident of Batsari confirmed that one of the victims, who happened to be his aunt, died of cardiac arrest due to the fear of gunshots by the bandits. The other two died from stray bullets.
“By the time the bandits came to Batsari, we learnt that the security men were at Dankar village which was surrounded by bandits,” he said.
When contacted, the Police spokesman in Katsina, SP Gambo Isah, said he had to contact DPO Batsari for confirmation, but could not comment on the Faskari incident as military is in charge of the area.
On last Sunday’s abduction of 15 students and four staff from the College located in Bakura Local Government Area of Zamfara State, the video released by the bandits via social media platforms showed them, including three females, flanked by six armed men.
“Assalamu Alaikum, we are the students kidnapped from College of Agriculture and Animal Science. Our captors are threatening to kill us if a ransom is not paid within 24 hours,” one of the students said in the video.
“They took us to where they dumped the corpses of those they killed after they were kidnapped from Yarkufoji community. They told us that similar fate is waiting for us if their demand is not met in time,” he added.
He said the armed criminals had demanded N350 million as ransom to release them.
“The student is talking about those the armed criminals had killed and dumped their corpses. This could be true because the residents they killed might be the ones abducted from the Yarkufoji community last week.
“The armed men had earlier raided the community and abducted about 20 residents. Some of the kidnapped victims were released after a ransom was paid.
“But they might have killed some of them whose families could not raise ransom or were struggling to meet the deadline they set for the delivery of money,” he said.
Governor Bello Mohammed Matawalle assured that he would do everything humanly possible to ensure that the abducted students regain freedom.
