Sa’adu Dantutture, the health secretary of Malumfashi Local Government Area in Katsina State, was killed after suspected bandits attacked his hometown of Dantutture in Kafur LGA.
The attackers reportedly stormed the community late Wednesday night, taking the former Director of Primary Healthcare in Funtua LGA captive after raiding several shops. According to Kabir Ado Mai Unguwa, an eyewitness, the assailants arrived around 11pm and fled with Dantutture. He said the health official was killed as the group attempted to leave the area.
“They first abducted him and took him away after looting some of our shops. But while they were leaving the village, they killed him,” Mai Unguwa said.
Nigerian Army personnel from the 17 Brigade, alongside local vigilantes, reportedly confronted the attackers during the operation. Three suspected bandits were said to have been killed, while another reportedly escaped after dropping a weapon.
Dantutture was later buried in Dantutture, where relatives, colleagues, friends and other members of the community gathered to mourn him. His widow, Fatima Sa’adu, remembered him as a modest man devoted to public service and urged authorities to intensify efforts to protect residents.
“My late husband was a man of the people. He lived a very simple and humble life. This family has been devastated by his death,” she said.
Before his appointment as Malumfashi’s health secretary, Dantutture served as Director of Primary Healthcare in Funtua LGA. Mu’azzam Sa’adu, the deceased’s son, appealed to the government and security agencies to respond more firmly to the continuing threat of banditry.
“We want peace. We deserve to be protected. No family should have to go through what we are experiencing today,” he said.
The spokesperson for the Katsina State Police Command, DSP Sadik Aliyu, said he would confirm the incident and issue a response. He had not responded by the time this report was filed.
