No fewer than 85 persons, comprising both travellers and residents, were said to have been abducted by terrorists at Katari along the Kaduna – Abuja highways near Katari, in the Kachia Local Government Area of Kaduna State.

It was also gathered that more than four residents were killed by the hoodlums.

The breakdown of those abducted by the bloodthirsty terrorists indicated that between Thursday and Sunday, January 7, 2024, a total of 85 persons were abducted.

The Kaduna State Police Command confirmed that there was a bandit attack on the Kaduna-Abuja Expressway at Dogon Fili near Katari.

However, the command was silent on the abduction of the travellers along the Kaduna-Abuja Expressway.

The Command’s Public Relations Officer, Mansir Hassan, stated that security operatives battled the terrorists before they fled in different directions.

The police spokesman noted that in the process, some travellers were caught in the crossfire, and they sustained varying degrees of gunshot injury.

He said, “What happened on Sunday, January 7, 2024, for instance, was that bandits blocked the major highway. We were told that some travellers travelling to Abuja and other places were abducted. I could not, as a matter of fact, ascertain the number of those abducted.

“But before then, the bandits in their huge numbers had attacked some villages around the Katari general area and abducted several locals, and about four others were killed.

“At Dudumishini village, the bandits abducted no fewer than 30 residents while some escaped. There are no fewer than 25 people with the hoodlums now and also at Kwakware village, about 35 were picked by the terrorists while some escaped, leaving about 30 with them. All these happened a few days to when the incident on Sunday occurred,” he added.

The Chief Imam of the Katari Central Mosque, Suleiman Mohammed, equally confirmed the Sunday attack.

He said, “Precisely 9.30 pm on Sunday, 7, 2024, I was home when I heard gunshots all over. I later got to know that bandits in their large numbers and bearing dangerous weapons struck. They blocked the entire Kaduna-Abuja highways around the Katari axis, and some travellers along the road from Abuja were taken away while some escaped.

“Eyewitnesses told us that several travellers, in the range of 30, were taken away by the bandits. That was what I was told. They might be more than that,” he said.

When asked if the terrorists had called to demand ransom, the cleric said: “Normally, the bandits don’t call to demand for those abducted along the road. They contact individual homes to demand ransom. Those abducted were travellers, not residents.

“Assuming they kidnapped residents, they would call us within two or three days to demand ransom.”  (The PUNCH)