Bandits kill security aide, abduct son of Katsina LGA boss

Suspected bandits have killed the security aide of Dayi Maharazu, the Chairperson of Malumfashi Local Government Area (LGA) in Katsina State, and abducted his four-year-old son in a violent attack on his residence early Tuesday morning.

The assailants, believed to be bandits, reportedly arrived at Maharazu’s home in Malumfashi township around 1:45 a.m.

They scaled a neighbor’s fence to gain access to the property, where they found only the chairperson’s wife, children, and other family members.

A close associate of Maharazu confirmed that during the attack, the bandits killed his security aide and abducted the young boy.

The motive behind the attack is still unclear, though authorities suspect it may be related to the growing wave of banditry in the region.

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“One of the children spotted the intruders and raised the alarm. Consequently, some of his family members locked themselves in a toilet while their mother locked herself and some of their children in her room. However, the bandits caught two other children sleeping in another room,” the source said.

“Mrs Maharazu managed to contact her husband, who was in Katsina, and he subsequently alerted the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in Malumfashi,” the source revealed.

The police engaged the bandits in a shootout and rescued one of the abducted children as they escaped with the four-year-old.

The bandits had not contacted the family for ransom as of the time of filing this report.

The Police Public Relations Officer, Katsina Command, Sadiq Abubakar, confirmed the attack, adding that three suspects had been arrested. He also confirmed that the chairperson’s security aide, Shamsudeen Ahmed, died at the hospital from injuries he sustained from the attack.

Malumfashi LGA is an hotspot of banditry in Katsina State.