Residents of the banditry-ravaged Mantau community in Malumfashi Local Government Area of Katsina State are trading words with the state government over the release of 76 hostages by their abductors.
The residents said the abductees were freed unconditionally by a suspected notorious bandits’ leader, Babaro, but the government said they regained freedom after Babaro’s stronghold was destroyed by the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) on Saturday.
In a statement by the state Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Dr. Nasir Mu’azu, the government reaffirmed that NAF operatives raided Babaro’s enclave at Pauwa Hill in Kankara Local Government Area of the state.
“Saturday morning, the NAF carried out a decisive air operation at Pauwa Hill in Kankara Local Government Area, successfully rescuing 76 kidnapped victims, including women and children. However, it was regrettably noted that one child tragically lost his life during the ordeal.
“The precision air interdiction, conducted between 6:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m, specifically targeted Babaro’s stronghold at Pauwa Hill one of his most notorious bases that has long been a source of terror to surrounding communities”, the statement read.
The government further revealed that the rescued kidnapped victims included “all those abducted during the attack on Unguwan Mantau in Malumfashi” that claimed over 50 lives.
However, one of the freed captives from Mantau, Firdausi Auwal, said: “They (bandits) said the children among us were crying and disturbing them that was why they released us.
“They led us through the bush and forest paths to Kankara main road and asked us to go. While at the roadside, we saw an aeroplane hovering in the sky. We were fed by the bandits while in their custody.”
Another released victim, Fatima Haliru, said the bandits were well armed. “They are armed and use walkie-talkie and handsets to communicate with their members, but they did not do anything to us throughout our stay with them.
Fatima, who was abducted alongside her three-month old daughter, said, “The bandits released us out of sympathy for our children and the young ones among us, not military operations.”
She called on the state and federal governments, as well as, security agencies to deploy additional security personnel to Mantau and other neighbouring communities to avert further occurrence of the incident.
Francis Sardauna
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