Many killed as gunmen attack Katsina villages

Residents, who spoke to Daily Trust, last night, said the casualty figure was over 30.

The victims were said to be returning from a condolence visit in Batsari when they were ambushed.

The attack occurred in Baure village known to be a stronghold of bandits.

Residents of Barebari village in Safana Local Government Area, who preferred not to be mentioned, said more than 15 persons died on the spot.

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“Baure village is known as a bandits’ den where they have significant control. It was a market day, and they followed people home, killing at least 15, based on the corpses we have seen so far. They burnt some bodies, and others are still missing. Initially, they didn’t allow anyone to retrieve the corpses, but later relented,” a local said.

Another resident said: “We managed to rescue over 20 people. The victims include people from Charanci, Burji, Jibiya, and Kaita. At least 25 people have been confirmed dead, while many others remain unaccounted for.”

A resident, who said one of the victims was his nephew, said among the victims were vigilantes.

“Unknown to them (victims), bandits were already in the village. On sighting our people, the bandits took cover in people’s houses and opened fire on our people, killing more than 30 of them.

“My nephew was one of those killed and it was today (Thursday) that we were able to retrieve his corpse for burial because the bandits prevented the retrieval of the bodies two days after the incident,” he said.

“The victims were members of a local vigilante group from different local governments, who went on a condolence visit to Madaddafai village over the death of one of their members.  After the condolences, their leaders returned home, but the rest decided to proceed to the Baure village where they were ambushed by the bandits.

The spokesman of the Katsina State Police Command, Abubakar Sadiq Aliyu, confirmed the attack, but said: “We are still gathering information and will provide a detailed update soon.”