Bandits have abducted a 60-year-old woman, Hajiya Yar Atti, and her 13-year-old daughter at Tsauri village in Kurfi Council of Katsina State.According to an eyewitness, the hoodlums, numbering six, had invaded the village about 1a.m. on Thursday, September 26, shooting sporadically to scare people away, and proceeded to the victims’ house, where they threatened to shoot anyone who tried to stop them from abducting the woman and her daughter.
Her husband, Rabiu Tsauri, father of Mallam Dan Amina, a late popular Islamic scholar, was said to have pleaded with them not to abduct his family members, even as he offered them the sum of N200, 000 and a car, which they declined.According to source, “The bandits came on three motorcycles, kept the motorcycles at Tsauri Central Primary School situated at the entrance of the village, and then trekked down to the victims’ house.
“Incidentally, the victims’ family were preparing for the wedding ceremony of their daughter, which was supposed to take place on Saturday (today).”
He said the victim’s husband had been on sick bed before the incident and was recuperating when the bandits stormed his residence.“While still lying on the bed, he offered them his car and the sum of N200, 000 to prevent the abduction of his wife and daughter, but the bandits turned it down.”
Another eyewitness, Garbai Harisu, who was in Tsauri when the incident occurred said: “It took the bandits more than 30 minutes to get access into the victim’s house, after forcefully breaking her window.
“The bandits gained entry into the house through the fence after resistance by visitors, who came to attend the wedding ceremony from Zamfara, Jigawa and Kaduna states.“The bandits also tried to seize the victim’s ATM card, but were not successful. They, however, seized more than 30 mobile phones, including that of the victim’s husband.
“In addition, they seized all the keys of the victims’ residence and took away valuable properties that was bought in preparation for the wedding.”
Speaking to journalists shortly after the incident, Tsauri called on security agencies to help rescue his abducted family members and the state government to assist Tsauri community with a Police outpost to prevent future occurrence, saying there was a possibility that the bandits could return to the area.
He added that the community, which is situated some 25 kilometres away from Katsina metropolitan, has produced several prominent personalities, saying: “The number of important personalities from the area makes the community a possible target for bandits, a situation which needs Police presence in the area.”The state Police Command was yet to react to the incident at press time.
THE GUARDIAN
