Bandits on motorbikes, Friday night invaded Unguwar Nabukka community in Bakori area of Katsina State and abducted a lecturer of the Federal University Dutsin-Ma, and one other person.
Abdulmalik Sabitu, a senior lecturer at the department of Science Education, Faculty of Education, was abducted around 9:58 p.m., two University sources told PREMIUM TIMES.
Unguwar Nabukka is one kilometre from the Federal Government Girls College Bakori and two kilometres from the main Funtua town.
A colleague, who teaches at the Economics department of the University, said the abducted lecturer was the prime target of the attack.
“One of our colleagues have gone to sympathize with the family. I’m in touch with him and what he told me gave the impression that Dr (the victim) was the reason they were there,” the source, who asked not to be named because of fear over his own safety, said.
He said the abducted persons were sitting a few meters from the lecturer’s house with friends and other neigbours when the terrorists invaded the village and went straight to where they were sitting.
“When they came on motorcycles, some of them got down and commanded those sitting to surrender themselves but most of them disobeyed and started running. Only one bullet was fired and it did not hit and its target. He (Mr Abdulmalik) was sitting, talking on his phone and they took him. The bandits did not bother to pursue those running,” he said.
He added that the other abducted person, Sabiu Ahmad, is the lecturer’s neigbour.
Another staff at the establishment office of the University, who also asked not to be named, said the school authorities have been informed of the abduction.
“I was called in the night by our colleagues. I spoke with him (the abducted) around 12:00 p.m. We’ve informed the school authorities. We now have to wait for them to call for the usual negotiations,” he said
Attempt to abduct lecturer’s wife
One of our sources said after kidnapping the duo, the bandits led them to the lecturer’s house, looking for his wife and son.
“Fortunately for the family, when the bandits stormed the area, Dr Abdulmalik’s Junior brother was one of those who ran from the place of the attack. He quickly entered his brother’s residence and took the wife and son away. They’re now safe,” he said.
According to him, after searching the house for the family members, the bandits left without taking any property from the house.
Both the spokespersons for the Federal University Dutsin-Ma, Habibu Aminu and that of the Katsina police command, Gambo Isa, did not respond to calls and SMS sent to them on the abduction.
Banditry is the code name in the region for organised crimes like kidnapping, cattle rustling, mass abduction, arson and even armed robbery with states in the North-west and a part of the North-central being the worse hits.
What started as farmers-herders clashes snowballed into cattle rustling before access to small arms emboldened the criminals to start raiding villages.
Factors like mass poverty, illiteracy and a porous border with Niger Republic have complicated security issues for both the government and the people.
Banditry has disrupted the lives of thousands of people, led to the death of hundreds of thousands of people and the displacement of over a million others.
