[TOP STORIES] Military onslaught: Terrorists flee Zamfara, invade Katsina villages

As the air and land components of the Nigerian military continued the onslaught on terrorists in Zamfara State, reports indicate that the terrorists have fled to neighbouring Sokoto, Niger and Katsina states where they are currently making life unbearable to the locals.

The terrorists have specifically, unleashed untold hardship and misery on villages close to Rugu forest in Safana, Batsari and Jibiya in Katsina State.

These made many inhabitants of these villages flee to safer locations.

A native of Batsari in Katsina State, who craved anonymity as he spoke to the BBC Hausa Service monitored by our correspondent in Kaduna, said the terrorists have now occupied areas in Jibiya at Shekewayen Yan Larba, Garin Labo, Jajjaye and Baranda, down to western Wagigi and Giginyu, up to the Safana border.

According to him, “Truly the presence of these terrorists has frightened us, terribly. The terrorists were large in number and wield dangerous weapons. They swung into action on arrival and started kidnapping people and rustled animals belonging to the locals. People were fleeing the area.”

Spokesperson of the Katsina State Police Command, Gambo Isa confirmed that there were strange faces in Rugu forest near Safana and their operatives were doing their best.

“It’s a covert operation and I will not go into details. But I’m assuming people in these affected areas that we would tackle the problem very soon, by the will of Allah,” he said.