Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
What began as a routine Tuesday evening at an off‑campus residence in the Low‑Cost area of Kaura Namoda town turned into a nightmare when a group of armed bandits, seizing an opportunity created by an unlocked door, invaded the building and dragged seven students of the Federal Polytechnic, Kaura Namoda, into the darkness. The attack occurred on the night of 2 June 2026, and was confirmed by the Chairman of Kaura Namoda Local Government Area, Hon. Mannir Haidara Kaura, who said security agencies had launched rescue operations. By morning, one student had managed to escape, but six others – three male and three female – remained in the hands of a gang that residents and police have linked to a notorious bandit leader, Kachalla Bello Dansadiya, whose camp is believed to be located around the Dajin Yamma forest area.
The Zamfara State Police Command confirmed the abduction in a statement on Wednesday, 3 June. The Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Yazid Abubakar, told Daily Trust that the attack was not a targeted raid on the polytechnic campus itself, but an opportunistic crime that exploited a momentary lapse in security at an off‑campus private residence. “One of the students went outside during the night, claiming he wanted to urinate. In the process, he left the door open. Coincidentally, bandits passing through the area entered the house and abducted the students,” Abubakar said. The police spokesperson added that the school premises themselves remain “well secured” with adequate personnel deployed, making it “extremely difficult for bandits to penetrate”.
A student of the institution, Ibrahim Ahmad, told reporters that one of the abducted students managed to flee during the attack, while the remaining six were taken away by the assailants. The victims have been identified only by their gender, with three male and three female students still unaccounted for. Ahmad also confirmed that the students were living in a rented apartment on the outskirts of the Low‑Cost area, a neighbourhood that has become increasingly vulnerable to bandit incursions in recent months.
The abduction has triggered alarm in Kaura Namoda, where a local civic group, the Concerned Citizens of Kaura Namoda, has issued a statement accusing authorities of failing to act despite repeated warnings. The group pointed a finger directly at a named bandit leader, Kachalla Bello Dansadiya, and his gang, alleging that previous victims of the same network are still being held in the same forest camp. “Alarmingly, all these victims are reportedly still being held in a well-known bandit camp around Dajin Yamma, yet no rescue operations have taken place,” the group said. “Where are the fighter jets and armoured vehicles?” they added.
The residents cited earlier attacks that have gone unresolved: the abduction of two senior lecturers of the Federal Polytechnic who were held captive for more than two months despite the payment of ransom; the kidnapping of three residents; and the abduction of a district head from his residence, which is located near a military base. These cases, the group argued, suggest a deliberate and coordinated pattern of violence that has effectively turned parts of Kaura Namoda into a no‑go zone.
In response to the latest abduction, the Zamfara State Police Command has deployed its Violent Crime Response Unit (VCRU) in collaboration with troops of Operation Fansan Yamma, the military task force operating in the North‑West. DSP Abubakar said the joint rescue operation was already underway and that “our VCRU personnel, together with troops of Operation Fansan Yamma, are working to ensure the safe rescue of the abducted students”. The police have not disclosed whether any ransom demand has been made or whether contact has been established with the abductors.
The abduction of the six students comes barely two weeks after the mass abduction of 46 pupils and teachers from three schools in Oyo State, an incident that has triggered nationwide protests and a teachers’ strike. Unlike the Oyo attack, which targeted school premises directly, the Kaura Namoda abduction occurred at a private residence, but the impact on the student community has been equally devastating. Many students have since abandoned their off‑campus lodgings and relocated to the main campus or to family homes in safer towns.
As of Wednesday evening, 3 June 2026, the six students remained in captivity. The Concerned Citizens group has accused security agencies of inaction, pointing out that Dansadiya’s camp is well known and yet has not been destroyed by airstrikes or ground assaults. “This is a camp that everyone in the area knows about. How can it still be standing?” the group asked.
For the families of the abducted students, the wait is unbearable. The six young men and women who went to the Federal Polytechnic to pursue higher education are now being held in a forest that has become synonymous with terror. Their locked door was opened by a classmate for two minutes; a bandit column was passing by at that exact moment. That is how chance writes the script of tragedy in Zamfara State. That is how a momentary slip of the hand turned six dreams into hostages.
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