‘Bush Fulani people’ kidnap 80 villagers including pregnant women, children in Katsina

Over 80 people have been reportedly kidnapped by terrorists known as bandits in the Northern part of Nigeria as they invaded Kwari village in Jibiya Local Government Area of Katsina.

According to reports, the bandits invaded the community and set the villagers’ food barns and local shops on fire.

The over 2000 villagers who were now taking refuge at a primary school in Jibiya town, said among those that were whisked away to the forest by the bandits, were children, women including pregnant ones and others. 

They claimed that the authorities have not come to their aid with any assurance.

Speaking in an interview with the BBC Hausa Service on Thursday, one of the IDPs said they were forcefully chased out of the village by the rampaging gunmen.

According to the woman, ”they came with full force at 5.30 pm and invaded us, we were not aware of their coming. They opened fire, shot sporadically and burnt down shops and our food barns.”

”They kidnapped people, men and women, little children who cannot even talk. They took them to the forest.

“They took about 80 people to the forest. We did a head count later,we found that about 80 of our people were taken away by the bandits.

“They are these Bush Fulani people; they took even pregnant women away,” she alleged.

She said they had to run away from Kwari village and moved to the Central Primary school in Jibiya town.

”We are here lying down in a humiliating manner. No mats to lie on. We are all lying on the bare ground. “

”When the bandits left, we looked and found out that those taken away were up to 80. In some houses they took 5, 10 and took them to the forest. Even our little children .”

When asked if they have received any assistance from the Local Government, State Government or from the security agencies, she said no.

”Truly, we are in need of help. We need assistance because we are in a pitiable condition. Please help us, Wallahi some husbands don’t know where their wives are.

“Some wives cannot find their husbands. Children cannot find their mothers, some mothers don’t know where their children are,” she said.

There is no official reaction to the incident as at the time of publication.