₦airaland Forum

‘They Poured Petrol On Me And Set Me On Fire’: Displaced Katsina Farmer Recounts Bandits’ Brutal Attack

A displaced resident of Katsina State, identified as Aliyu Hassan, has recounted the horrifying moment bandits allegedly doused him with petrol and set him ablaze after attacking him on his farm in Batagarawa Local Government Area.

Hassan, who spoke in Hausa in a video posted on X by security expert Bakatsine, narrated how he narrowly survived the brutal attack after rolling repeatedly on the ground until the fire eventually went out.

“They poured petrol on me and set me on fire, right on my head. They struck a match and lit it, then they just left,” Hassan said.

“I kept screaming for help and rolling on the ground, rolling and rolling in the sand. By God’s mercy, the fire eventually went out.”

The victim, now displaced and living in Katsina town, said he and his family have been unable to return to their village following repeated attacks by bandits.

“Now we are here in Katsina town. Honestly, we have not gone back home. We are staying in Sabon Layi, at a place where displaced people are sheltered. We don’t even have a proper place to stay,” he lamented.

According to Hassan, the incident happened while he was working on his farm during the farming season.

“I was on the farm working when the attackers came. I didn’t even notice they were coming,” he said.

“When I tried to run, they chased me. If I had tried to escape, they would have shot me, so I stopped. They stood there and demanded money and my phone, but I told them I didn’t have any.”

Hassan said the attackers insisted that “my father had money and that I should take them to our house.”

The victim explained that he informed the gunmen that his family had already been displaced from their community due to insecurity and that he only returned to cultivate his farmland because it was farming season.

“We had already been displaced before and driven from our homes. I explained that I had only come to work on the farm because it was farming season,” he said.

According to him, the attackers ignored his pleas and instead subjected him to severe torture.

“They said, ‘Then you are going to bathe.’ They dragged me to a nearby hut and tied me up. They tied my legs and hands, poured petrol on my head, struck a lighter, and set me ablaze before leaving,” he narrated.

Hassan said he screamed in agony while struggling desperately to survive.

“I screamed and rolled on the ground, rolling in the sand until, by God’s mercy, the fire went out,” he added.

He further disclosed that he would likely have died if not for the intervention of a stranger who later found him and rushed him to hospital.

“I was sitting there helpless when a kind man came and helped me. He lifted me up and took me into town to a hospital where they treated me,” he said.

“It was somewhere near Malumfashi. After the treatment there, they referred me to Katsina. We came to Katsina General Hospital, and after they told us to go to Batagarawa. When we got there, they said they could not handle it and referred us again to the medical centre.”

Hassan said after several failed attempts to secure proper treatment, some residents directed him to a traditional burns specialist in Kawari village.

“They said that by God’s will, if we went there, I might recover. So we went, and the man treated me and applied medicine to my body. After that, we returned to town,” he said.

When asked which parts of his body were affected, Hassan said the burns severely damaged multiple areas.

“My face, neck, chest, and also my hands,” he said.

He identified the scene of the attack as Rumu village in Batagarawa Local Government Area of Katsina State.

Asked about his present condition, Hassan said he still suffers severe pain and discomfort from the injuries.

“Sometimes I feel severe pain, and at other times I feel itching and irritation,” he explained.

“When I drink cold water, it cools me a little. Sometimes when the sun is hot, I can’t even move around freely and have to stay indoors away from people.”

He also disclosed that one of the attackers remained behind to watch him burn after setting him on fire.

“There were about five of them on motorcycles,” he said.

“After they set me on fire, four of them left while one stayed behind watching me roll on the ground as the fire kept burning. Eventually he also left me there. By the power of God, while I kept rolling, the fire finally went out.”

Explaining how his hands were also burnt, Hassan said the flames spread across his body as he struggled on the ground.

“The fire spread while I was lying down and rolling on the ground. That is how the burns reached my hands too,” he said.

Despite surviving the attack, Hassan said he remains displaced and unable to return to his community due to fear of further attacks.

“No. We are still here in Katsina town. Honestly, we have not returned home,” he said when asked if he had gone back to his village.

“We are staying at Sabon Layi among displaced people, and we don’t even have a proper place to live.”

On how his family survives daily, Hassan said they depend entirely on humanitarian assistance and donations from kind-hearted individuals.

“As for food, we survive on the food aid distributed by charitable people,” he said.

Asked about the homes they abandoned, he responded, “They are still there, but we are unable to go back.”

Hassan appealed to the government to restore peace and security to affected communities across Katsina State and other parts of northern Nigeria ravaged by banditry.

“We pray that this government will bring peace,” he said.

“May God bring an end to all this suffering and return everyone safely to their homes. May God bless us with prosperity and a peaceful life.”

Aliyu Hassan, a young man from Batsari LGA in Katsina State, had petrol poured over his body and was set on fire by bandits and they left.

Miraculously, the flames went out on their own after the bandits left, and he survived.

He is still suffering from the fire injuries. pic.twitter.com/9GzOwfXp1x

— Babangida (@iambabangida_) June 25, 2026

TruthHurts1:
https://saharareporters.com/2026/06/25/they-poured-petrol-me-and-set-me-fire-displaced-katsina-farmer-recounts-bandits-brutal

Aliyu Hassan, a young man from Batsari LGA in Katsina State, had petrol poured over his body and was set on fire by bandits and they left.

Miraculously, the flames went out on their own after the bandits left, and he survived.

He is still suffering from the fire injuries. pic.twitter.com/9GzOwfXp1x

— Babangida (@iambabangida_) June 25, 2026

shortgun:
Tinubu has failed to secure Nigerians or even provide electricity.
The only way to end insecurity in Nigeria and have stable electricity is to remove Tinubu from office.
All the bandits and terrorists you see causing havoc everywhere were imported by the Tinubu and APC in 2015 in their desperation to remove Goodluck Jonathan from office

tuoyoojo:
These are the same people that they are giving amnesty and recruiting into the army !!

There is one question that has always baffled me

Who do those bandits sponsors have on those in power that makes the government unable to exterminate these bandits

Asmanthinket:
my greatest confusion is that some people are supporting tinubu to go back after seeing how people die like fowls on daily basis. My question is this are all these people supporting him blind or mad? No Norman human being can' support bat . ' the number of people that will vote apc will decide the number of mad people in this country' - Bishop David Oyedepo

shortgun:
Most Nigerians are irritated by just seeing his picture on banners and campaign vehicles that's why they attack and destroy them.

The "support" you are seeing are mostly from jobless touts who are paid ₦30,000 naira monthly to promote the failure and attack anyone who criticize Tinubu. They are well known, even on this forum

They poured petrol on me and set me on fire, right on my head. They struck a match and lit it, then they just left,” Hassan said.

He also disclosed that one of the attackers remained behind to watch him burn after setting him on fire.

Ishilove:
This is not the action of normal human beings. This is a drug addled psychopathic behaviour and should be treated as such. No reintegration into the society but instant annihilation.

People like this have no business in the society and it speaks of abject governmental failure.

Wealthoptulent:
they FORESAW no PAYMENT MADE, e get as MONEY POINT account dey BE.
dem no jus want wahala join

tuoyoojo:
These are the same people that they are giving amnesty and recruiting into the army !!

There is one question that has always baffled me

Who do those bandits sponsors have on those in power that makes the government unable to exterminate these bandits

GloriousGbola:
They have been trained well by ISIS

You may have forgotten that isis burned people alive, slaughtered people alive and streamlined/filmed it all

And now they have exported it all to their jihad in west africa

Ishilove:
Training given by psychopaths to psychopaths, which is why I have no pity when Israel gives it back to them without caring whose ox is gored. These people have no business existing

naptu2:
Israel? How many times has Israel attacked ISIS?

Ishilove:
Training given by psychopaths to psychopaths, which is why I have no pity when Israel gives it back to them without caring whose ox is gored. These people have no business existing