Suspected armed robbers attacked Mustapha Saddiq, publisher of Katsina Post, during a midnight raid on his home in Batagarawa Local Government Area of Katsina State. The attack occurred around 2 a.m. on Saturday when three masked men scaled the fence and broke a padlock to enter the compound. According to Sadiq Bindawa, co-publisher of the online outlet, the intruders engaged Mr Saddiq in a physical struggle and wounded him with a sharp object, believed to be a knife, dagger or machete. He was taken to a government hospital in Katsina State for treatment.
Mr Saddiq's wife reported seeing one of the attackers carrying a gun, though no shots were fired. The robbers fled with his mobile phone and vehicle. The stolen car was later found abandoned in Abukur, within Rimi Local Government Area. "The chairman of Rimi Local Government informed us that the car was found and recovered, and we are already in contact with the police," Mr Bindawa said. No other household member was injured. The Batagarawa Police Division has opened an investigation. Attempts to reach Abubakar Aliyu, spokesperson for the Katsina State Police Command, were unsuccessful as of the report's filing.
A journalist known for local reporting is now a victim of violent home invasion, and the fact that his vehicle was quickly recovered suggests the network to track such movements exists. Yet the attack itself reveals how little security ordinary citizens, even public figures, have in their homes at night. If police response had been slower, the outcome could have been far worse — and that reality is what many Nigerians live with daily.
