Michael AndeyinOn Sunday, four students of the Federal University Dutsin-Ma, Katsina State, were abducted from their hostel in Paris Quarters behind their school.
According to several media reports, the students’ hostel was attacked by a large group of terrorists (referred to as bandits) around 2:20 am.
A consequence of their attack was the kidnapping of four students who have been identified as Wali Kayode (25), Fahad Muhammad (20), Emmanuel and one yet-to-be-identified student.
The attack on the university is one of several terrorist activities that have affected residents of the state in the last six months. Between August 2024 and March 2025, many cases of terrorism, abduction and insecurity have been reported in Katsina.
These attacks are not random. They happen so frequently that they made residents of Jibia Local Government Area (LGA) sign a peace accord with terrorists on February 28, in Kwari Village.
During the discussions, the terrorists admitted to abducting 10 people from Daddara Town and surrendered two AK-47 rifles as a gesture of reconciliation.
The criminals promised to stop cattle rustling, secure farmers and end attacks on the villagers. They also released the victims they had abducted. But other communities are not so lucky.
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EX-NYSC DG KIDNAP IN BAKORI LGA
On February 7, Brigadier General Maharazu Tsiga (retired), former Director General of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), was kidnapped by bandits in Tsiga Village, Bakori LGA, in the state.
The attack, which began around 12:30 am, lasted for three hours as the assailants stormed the community, firing shots to create panic. In addition to abducting Tsiga, the gunmen kidnapped at least nine other residents and killed one person while looting homes.
Eyewitnesses believe that the retired general was the main target of the attack. A resident, speaking anonymously, noted that none of Tsiga’s family members were taken, suggesting that the kidnappers had specifically come for him. After abducting the general, they seized other victims before fleeing the scene.
On Saturday, FIJ reported how conflicting reports of the ex-NYSC DG’s condition circulated in the media, and the authorities did nothing to confirm or deny it.
POLICE, CIVILIAN DEATHS, AND KIDNAP IN FASKARI LGA
On February 27, gunmen killed two police officers and four civilians in Unguwar Baki Village in Faskari LGA.
About 200 of them attacked the village and engaged in a gun duel with security operatives. During the attack, they killed Inspector Mainasara Usman and Corporal Abubakar Iliyasu of the 27 Police Mobile Force.
They also stole two rifles and 60 rounds of ammunition before retreating with casualties of their own.
However, this was not all the attack Faskari LGA suffered; the next day, another group of terrorists kidnapped at least five residents of Sheme Town and took them to Shawu Forest.
They also shot Ado Isiyaku, a local vigilante. Hassan Bajoga Sheme, the vigilante commander, was also reported missing after that attack.
NURSE YUSUF MOHAMMED MAIRUWA, KIDNAPPED IN KANKARA
On January 14, unidentified gunmen attacked the General Hospital in Kankara LGA. They shot at a medical doctor and kidnapped five other hospital staff.
Among the five abducted medical staff is Nurse Yusuf Mohammed Mairuwa. Weeks after his abduction, the National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwifery, Katsina State Council, threatened to shut down work if he was not released.
The medical practitioner was only freed after 45 days in captivity and a ransom of N19 million.
12-YEAR-OLD KILLED IN DANKAMA TOWN
On January 15, the police paraded Muttaka Garba and Yusuf Usman, two abductors who confessed to the kidnapping and murder of a 12-year-old boy in Dankama, Kastina.
The two men demanded N25 million from his relatives after kidnapping him. However, they killed him despite negotiations with his family. They dumped his body on the outskirts of the town.
20 PASSENGERS IN FASKARI AND JIBIA
On December 8, police said they rescued 20 passengers after foiling two separate kidnapping attempts in Jibia and Faskari Local Government Areas.
In the first attack, gunmen ambushed a commercial vehicle at Kwanar Makera along the Katsina-Magamar Jibia Road, shooting at the moving car in an attempt to abduct its occupants.
Police operatives engaged the assailants in a gun battle, forcing them to flee with gunshot wounds, and successfully rescued all 10 passengers unhurt.
Another attack occurred on December 7 at Marabar Bangori along the Funtua-Gusau Road, where armed men ambushed a vehicle carrying 10 passengers.
14 PASSENGERS IN JIBIA LGA
On November 24, police operatives rescued 14 passengers from a kidnapping attempt by terrorists in Dan’arau Village, Magama-Jibia, Jibia Local Government Area.
The assailants, armed with dangerous weapons, ambushed two commercial vehicles around 7:55 pm, firing sporadically.
Security operatives successfully foiled the attack and rescued all 14 passengers. However, two victims sustained gunshot wounds and were rushed to the hospital. However, one of them died from the injuries.
WARD HEAD ARRESTED FOR KIDNAP ACTIVITIES IN SAFANA
On October 3, the police arrested Usamatu Adamu, a 45-year-old ward head, for his role in a kidnapping syndicate operating in Safana LGA.
Adamu, who was tracked to Sabon Gida Village in Kaduna State, was linked to the abduction of four individuals in Runka Village.
During interrogation, he confessed and named his accomplices 62-year-old Rabe Sada(alias BBC) and 48-year-old Nasiru Sha’aibu, who provided information to a notorious bandit kingpin hiding in Runka Forest.
BANDITS KIDNAP THREE IN JIBIA
On September 4, gunmen attacked Magamar Jibia, a border town in Jibia LGA, kidnapping three people and injuring five.
The attackers, armed with sophisticated weapons, stormed the area around 11:45 pm, shooting indiscriminately to instill fear.
GIRL KIDNAPPED IN JIBIA
On August 29, police said they foiled a kidnapping attempt in Faru Village, Jibia Local Government Area, rescuing a girl unhurt. Around 1:15 am, bandits attacked the village and abducted the victim, but a distress call alerted the Jibia Divisional Police Headquarters.
The Divisional Police Officer mobilised a joint team, including members of the Katsina State Community Watch Corps and local vigilantes, who engaged the assailants in a gun battle and forced them to flee.
FAILED ATTEMPT TO KIDNAP SEVEN
Around 4:30 pm on August 13, suspected bandits attacked Yan Shantuma Village, Danmusa LGA, in Katsina. They abducted three people, stole 23 goats and robbed residents of foodstuff and valuables. The police said they were able to rescue the victims.
In a related incident, the police said they rescued four kidnapped travellers in Safana LGA on August 13.
They said they found an abandoned Volkswagen Golf II wagon along the Gora-Runka Road in Gobirawa Village, prompting a search operation.
Following a gunfight, officers rescued the vehicle’s occupants and rushed them to the hospital for treatment.
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WHERE HAVE MOST OF THESE CRIMES HAPPENED?
From the kidnapping incidents reported within this period in Katsina State, Jibia LGA stands out as a hot spot after about six incidents within six months.
About 32 people were kidnapped, six were injured and one person was killed.
In Faskari, the second hot spot within the state, at least 15 people were reported kidnapped. Six of them, including two police officers, were killed, and one resident was injured.
An infographic showing where most of the reported kidnapping incidents between August 2024 and March 2025 occurred the most in numbers.
Using Google My Maps, Google Earth Pro and Google Maps, FIJ identified the crime spots and how they spread across different local governments in the state.
Some of these locations are not mapped, so specific locations could not be identified.
HOW CLOSE ARE POLICE STATIONS AND SECURITY OUTFITS TO THE SCENE OF THE INCIDENTS?
According to reported cases of kidnapping and abduction between August and March, Jibia local government has the highest number of attacks.
Using the same open-source tools, FIJ looked for possible entry points for attackers in the area, forests where the victims might be taken to, the number of security outfits and their proximity to the town and how expressways and major roads could also aid escape for abductors.
On the map, Jibia sits in the Northern part of Katsina where it borders Niger Republic. Its proximity to a foreign country can aid the quick and final escape of the abductors. It is only 1.82 kilometres from the city centre of Jibia.
Jibia in white rings just before Niger Republic.
Also, the satellite imagery shows that the local government is densely populated and leads onto N18 Road, which connects with the Katsina Gusau Road. This could make it easier for victims to be abducted into Zamfara, a hotbed for kidnapping.
Still in Jibia is Zandam, a village hosting a river that is bordered by a large forest area, which shows possible places through which victims could be kidnapped and hidden. This is only 3.34 kilometres from the city centre.
The Jibia Divisional Police Headquarters claimed to be present in the town could not be found via the satellite imagery. It is the same case with other security agencies that might be in the town.
Dan’arau, a community where many passengers were rescued from being kidnapped, also sits close to Niger Republic, highlighting its vulnerability to swift attacks.
Like Jibia, Faskari, another hotbed for kidnapping in the state, sits on a major expressway, the Funua-Gusau Road. Several kidnapping cases have been reported along this road.
On the other side of the town, the map shows vast stretches of land that look uninhabited. They show Katsina’s border with Sokoto State. No police station or security outfit was seen in the imagery, which could depict the vulnerability of the residents and explain the consistent attacks.
The Shawu Forest, too, could not be spotted on the map.
Danmusa is also densely populated, according to satellite imagery. The Yumaki-Dan Musa Road passes through it. It also has a road that leads into Zamfara.
Kankara is more populated than the other towns, and it has many features of a city. The hospital where the medical staff were abducted is just by the road, and it is less than a kilometre from the main road where the assailants could have come in.
Opposite and behind the opposite are sparsely populated areas that could aid the quick travel of the abductors.
No police station or security outfit was seen in the imagery, which also indicates the vulnerability of the residents and explains the consistent attacks on them.
Unlike other places, Safana is sparsely populated and is only 6 kilometres away from Zobe Dam, an area surrounded by thick forests. The Dutsi-Ma Runka Road cuts through it, leading to other vast places in the town.
The large and less populated areas around it lead to the Federal Univeristy Dustin-Ma, where students were captured from their hotels. It is about 10 kilometres away.
In between these towns is vast land not really populated that could be home or hideouts for terrorists.
In Tsiga, Bako, where the former NYSC DG was kidnapped, there is a large forest around the town which connects with several bush paths.
Also, a major road cuts across town from the main market, connecting to other places. There are forests, but they are not so large to serve as hideouts, and they suggest that the abductor might have left town with the retired brigadier general the same day he was captured.
They might have taken him through Barde Primary School and other towns into Kano, but mostly likely into Zamfara, about 70 kilometres away from Tsiga through Funtua, Bakori and dozens of other towns.
According to media reports, he was kidnapped by gangs who maintained camps on the borders of Zamfara, Katsina, Kaduna and Niger states.
Satellite imagery did not show any police stations or security out-stations in any of these places.
The post Through Katsina’s Kidnapping Routes: How Terrorists Strike and Escape appeared first on Foundation For Investigative Journalism.
