Gunmen suspected to be bandits have abducted former Director-General of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Major General Mahrazu Tsiga (retired), alongside several residents of Tsiga village in Kankara Local Government Area of Katsina State.
According to local sources, the armed assailants stormed Tsiga’s residence on Wednesday night, wielding sophisticated weapons. Eyewitnesses reported that during the attack, which lasted only a few minutes, two residents sustained injuries, while one of the attackers was mistakenly shot and killed by his own gang members.
Authorities in Katsina State, including the police, are yet to issue an official statement regarding the abduction.
Katsina remains one of the North-Western states plagued by banditry, with armed groups frequently raiding villages, looting homes, and abducting residents. These gangs, operating from vast forest hideouts across Zamfara, Katsina, Kaduna, and Niger states, have been responsible for a wave of mass kidnappings in recent years.
In response to the growing security crisis, Governor Dikko Umar Radda launched the Katsina Community Watch Corps (KCWC) in 2023, deploying 2,000 vigilantes to support military and police efforts in combating the menace. However, Wednesday’s abduction underscores the ongoing challenges in securing the region.
