Bandits Kidnap Police Constable, Two Others in Katsina

Shocking Abduction: Bandits Kidnap Police Constable, 2 Others in Katsina

They never saw it coming.

A police constable and two civilians vanished into the dark grip of Katsina’s troubled forests after suspected bandits struck again. The daring abduction has sent shockwaves across the region, painting yet another grim picture of the worsening insecurity that grips northern Nigeria.

Constable Nura Ibrahim, with service number F/No 545490, was stationed at the Danmusa Division in Katsina State. On the fateful day, he joined two civilians in a Navy Blue Golf car, bearing registration number DMS 238. They were travelling quietly along the Danmusa–Yantumaki road, a stretch of highway increasingly feared by locals.

Then, the calm broke.

As their vehicle approached the outskirts of Yantumaki Forest, armed men stormed out of the bush. The attackers, believed to be part of a deadly gang of bandits terrorizing the area, halted the car without warning.

“They came out of nowhere,” said a local who witnessed the terrifying scene from a distance. “They dragged all three out and marched them straight into the forest.”

The police constable and his two companions had no chance to resist. The bandits, heavily armed and fast-moving, vanished back into the forest, dragging their victims into the wilderness where countless others have disappeared in similar fashion.

Security agencies did not wait to act. A combined force of police operatives and vigilante groups quickly launched a coordinated search and rescue mission. Intelligence sources said the security response was swift, with teams already combing through known bandit hideouts around Yantumaki Forest.

Authorities have since recovered the abandoned vehicle and moved it to the Yantumaki police outpost for further investigation. The vehicle, still parked where the bandits left it, now stands as a grim reminder of a road trip gone wrong.

Residents in Katsina are no strangers to such news. The region has, for years, suffered repeated assaults from heavily armed gangs who rob, abduct, and sometimes kill without mercy. These attackers often target highways and rural communities, making even short-distance travel a nerve-wracking gamble.

But the kidnapping of a uniformed police officer—on duty and in transit—struck a nerve.

“It’s getting out of hand,” said a community leader in Danmusa. “When they can kidnap a policeman, what chance do ordinary people have?”

Local residents say the Danmusa–Yantumaki road has grown more dangerous in recent months. Farmers, traders, and even school children now fear venturing too far from home. Many have stopped using the road altogether, preferring longer, safer routes—even if it means losing time or money.

This latest incident adds to growing criticism of government efforts to stop the violence.

“They say they’re fighting the bandits, but we don’t see it,” said another resident. “They only come after something terrible has happened.”

In the meantime, families of the abducted victims are left in agony, praying for their safe return. Police sources confirmed they are doing everything possible to locate the victims and apprehend the culprits.

But the question remains—how long before the forests of Katsina stop swallowing innocent people?

As search teams continue combing the dense underbrush of Yantumaki, the abduction has once again exposed the fragility of life in parts of Nigeria where the government’s reach thins out at the edge of the trees.

For now, all eyes are on the search teams, hoping they will bring back not just the kidnapped officer and civilians—but a sense of security that vanished long ago.