Suspected terrorists have requested relations of no fewer than 43 of their captives from Bakiyawa community, Batagarawa Local Government Area, Katsina State, to pay N250m ransom for their freedom.
The terror suspected placed the demand in telephone calls to a number of families whose wives, sisters, sons and daughters were whisked away about four days ago before the marauders were reportedly repelled by security personnel.
A resident of the community told Daily Champion that the suspected kidnappers also escaped with various valuables carted from many homes that were visited with terror as the criminals fire gunshots indiscriminately.
Meanwhile, some gunmen had reportedly ambushed and killed two persons and abducted two others in Dutsin-Ma Local Government headquarters in the early hours of yesterday, Sunday.
The gunmen were said to have killed “a hardworking security guard,” named Mallam Sani, and a youth leader simply identified as Shamsu in Mustapha Kuki Lay-out in Dutsin-Ma.
A source, who pleaded anonymity, said Shamu was until his death “a gallant youth,” who joined hands with others every night to ensure residents of the area slept with their two eyes closed.
The deceased were buried in Dutsin-Ma yesterday afternoon following funeral prayers attended by teeming numbers of persons eager to pay their last respect to “the two heroes.”
According to a resident of the town, “Shamsu was a volunteer member of a youth initiative codenamed, Operation Self-defense, that had been active every night.”
The spokesman of the Katsina State Police Command, Gambo Isah, could not be reached for comments as at press time on Sunday.
