Gunmen believed to be bandits have abducted Major General Mahrazu Tsiga (retired), the former Director-General of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).
Tsiga was kidnapped along with several other residents of Tsiga village in Kankara Local Government Area of Katsina State.
A local resident confirmed the incident to Channels Television on Thursday, explaining that the abduction occurred on Wednesday when armed assailants with advanced weapons stormed Tsiga’s home.
As of now, neither the Katsina State Government nor the police have issued any statements regarding the kidnapping.
Eyewitnesses reported that Tsiga was among those taken by the attackers.
Sources revealed that during the brief attack, two residents were injured, and one of the bandits was accidentally shot and killed by his own colleagues.
Katsina State is one of several areas in the North-West and North-Central regions plagued by bandit groups that raid villages, kill and abduct residents, and destroy and loot homes.
These groups, which operate from large forests covering Zamfara, Katsina, Kaduna, and Niger states, have gained infamy for their mass abductions of students in recent years.
In 2023, Katsina Governor Dikko Umar Radda established the Katsina Community Watch Corps (KCWC), consisting of around 2,000 vigilantes, to support the military and police in combating the banditry.
