Another 80 Katsina schoolchildren abducted, later rescued

Barely two days after the release of 344 Kankara schoolboys abducted from their college in Katsina State, 80 students of Hizburrahim Islamiyya, an Islamic school, were kidnapped on Saturday from Mahuta village in the Dandume Local Government of Katsina State.

The police said they had to engage the bandits in a gun battle and succeeded in freeing the 80 pupils and four others earlier abducted by the hoodlums.

The Islamic schoolchildren were said to be coming from a Maulud occasion, an event to mark the birthday of Prophet Muhammad, when they ran into the bandits, who had earlier kidnapped the four people and rustled some cows.

The police confirmed this in a statement on Sunday, adding that their action followed a distress call.

The spokesman for the Katsina Police Command, Gambo Isah, said in the statement that investigation had commenced.

He said, “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, 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 in 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 to arresting the injured bandits and/or recovery of their dead bodies.”