Residents of Katsina and Zamfara States are facing renewed terrorist onslaught in recent weeks.
At least four people were killed while dozens of others were abducted in separate terrorist attacks in Katsina and Zamfara States on Saturday.
Residents of Katsina and Zamfara States are facing renewed terrorist onslaught in recent weeks.
In the Zamfara attack, PREMIUM TIMES gathered that the terrorists opened fire on motorists around Dogon Karfe on the Gusau - Talata Mafara highway around 7:00 p.m.
"The terrorists stationed on both sides of the highway and once the first vehicle arrived, they opened fire from both sides of the road. About seven vehicles were involved," a resident of Maru town near where the attack occurred, Bello Saleh, told PREMIUM TIMES on the phone.
He said most of the passengers were abducted while several others were left with various degrees of injuries.
"The wounded passengers were abandoned by the terrorists and they took away those that could walk. One of the wounded passengers we helped to convey to the hospital on my motorcycle continued shouting that his wife and child were abducted. We've taken at least seven people to the general hospital (Maru)," he said.
Mr Saleh said the number of those abducted remains unclear as most of those not seen are believed to have been taken. "We don't know the actual number of people taken but they're many."
The police spokesperson in Zamfara State, Yazid Abubakar, didn't respond to calls and SMS sent to him on the attack.
Rain of bullets
In neighbouring Katsina State, four farmers were killed by terrorists Saturday morning.
Residents told PREMIUM TIMES that the farmers were from Dan Tsuntsu and Nahutawa in Batsari Local Government in the state.
They were there to harvest their potatoes when the terrorists attacked around 10:00 a.m.
"You know we've been going through difficulties in this areas for years, so some of our farmers and elders met and decided to be going to the farm in large numbers to avoid threat. And they've been doing that for some time now.
"Yesterday, they went to plug out their potatoes, as we have a lot of potato farmers in the area when the terrorists surrounded and opened fire on them," a source, who asked for anonymity for security reasons told PREMIUM TIMES.
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He said his neighbour, Sule Dan Tsuntsu, was one of the four farmers killed by the terrorists while several others were wounded.
The source, who is a medical health worker, said the terrorists abducted eight people.
The police command said its operatives are carrying out a rescue mission in the area.
"Yes, it's true (the attack) four people were killed while one person has been wounded. Already, we've sent our operatives to rescue those abducted by the terrorists. Normalcy has since returned in the area," the spokesperson, Abubakar Sadik told PREMIUM TIMES through phone.
North - west subregion, especially Zamfara, Katsina, Kaduna, Sokoto and Kebbi and a part of Niger State, has been witnessing a high rate of attacks by terrorists locally bandits for over a decade.
The terrorists kill and abduct residents from communities, schools, places of worship and highways and demand huge ransom before releasing the abductees.
