Pastor shot, worshippers abducted as gunmen attack Katsina community

Gunmen have abducted five women from Dan Mai-Tsuani community in Kankara LGA in Katsina state.

Confirming the attack to TheCable, Gambo Isah, the police spokesperson in the state, said the assailants stormed the village around 7am on Sunday and kidnapped the victims on their way to church.

He added that the abductees included two teenagers aged 15 and 13 years.

Isah said the victims were taken to a church, the New Life for All Church, within the community where a pastor was shot.

“The incident happened in the village and the kidnappers carried people to the church. Five people were abducted. The pastor of the church was shot in one of his hands and he is currently receiving treatment,” the police spokesperson said.

“All the abductees are women. The youngest among them are aged 15 and 13 years, respectively. They were abducted on their way to church service. The incident happened around 7am on Sunday.”

Isah said the families of the abductees are yet to be contacted by the attackers and the police have commenced an investigation.

Kankara LGA saw one of Nigeria’s high-profile cases of banditry in recent memory, when gunmen abducted over 300 students from a secondary school in the area on December 11, 2020.

The students regained their freedom days after the attack.