Katsina leads in North West’s over one million IDPs, says IOM

Terrorists have abducted 25 persons, including women and children, and injured others during different operations in four local councils of Katsina State.

In Batsari Local Council, about 9.00 p.m., on Sunday, the marauders abducted 20 persons in Madogara community, most of whom are peasant farmers.

Sources in the council, however, said one of the abductees managed to escape after he fought one of the terrorists holding him.

The Guardian learnt that the escapee sustained injuries from machetes used on his body by terrorists.

It was also gathered that some family members of those abducted had been receiving calls from the terrorists, asking for ransom.

Terrorists also abducted three healthcare workers a few days ago, including Balarabe Mohammed, who was abducted on August 6 at the Dongon-Dawa Healthcare Facility in Faskari Local Council.

The other two were abducted on August 1 inDandume Local Council.

Also, terrorists abducted a woman popularly known as Fatima, who sells local food known as Waina, and her daughter.

It was learnt that abductions spiked in recent weeks due to the rainy season, when farmers go to their farms.

At the time of this report, spokesperson for the police command in the state, ASP Abubakar Aliyu, was yet to respond to inquiries on the incidents.

MEANWHILE, International Organisation for Migration (IOM) has said terrorism and related criminality spiked insecurity in the North West, with Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) standing at over one million.

IOM Chief of Mission in Nigeria, Laurent De Boeck, who made this known in Katsina, on Monday, lamented that the state led others in the region in terms of IDPs.

Boeck was speaking at the official launch of the group’s Conflict Mitigation and Community Reconciliation Project in the North West.

According to him, based on research the organisation conducted in October last year, Katsina has 29 percent of total IDPs in the region, while women and children make up 54 per cent and 56 percent of the IDPs respectively.

“The North West is with over one million IDPs and about 29 per cent of them are from Katsina alone,” he said.

IOM, Mercy Corps and Centre Democracy and Development, with support from the European Union (EU), he said, were collaborating with the state government to promote community reconciliation process in the state. (The Guardian)

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