Following the withdrawal of soldiers from Shimfida village in Jibia local government area of Katsina state, bandits, on Friday night, abducted seven residents of the village.
PREMIUM TIMES had reported how seven children died as a result of a stampede while the residents of Shimfida were fleeing the community after the withdrawal of the soldiers.
The soldiers were stationed at Government Secondary School, Shimfida, about 27 Kilometres from Jibia town, the local council headquarters, until their withdrawal on Thursday.
Shimfida is one of the worst-hit communities in Katsina State in bandits’ attacks.
On Friday’s incident, a local source, Abdurrazak Ahmad, told PREMIUM TIMES that the 11 residents were also fleeing Shimfida to an unofficial IDP camp in Jibia when they were abducted.
He said the victims were mostly elderly women who did not join the exodus from the community of Thursday.
Another source in Jibia, who sought anonymity, said residents fear the bandits may again attack Shimfida in the coming days because of the “tough time the soldiers gave them while they were around.”
He said everyone in the community has fled to either Jibia or Katsina main town for fear of the bandits.
“Shimfida is a prosperous community. When the soldiers were stationed there, the bandits felt bad because they could not attack the community. They occasionally kidnapped residents especially when they got outside but the bandits could not attack the community because of the soldiers. So when the soldiers were withdrawn, they (residents) felt unsafe and decided to flee,” he said.
Katsina police command spokesperson, Gambo Isa, did not respond to calls and SMS sent to him on the phone over the development.
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