Bandits Kill 11, Injure Six in Fresh Onslaught on Katsina Community

Francis Sardauna in Katsina

No fewer than 11 villagers have been killed and six others injured by bandits in fresh onslaught on Dan-Kumeji community in Kankara Local Government Area of Katsina State.

A resident of the area, Abdulmumini Sani, who confirmed the incident in a telephone interview with THISDAY yesterday, said the bandits attacked the village on Thursday around 11:30p.m. and started shooting sporadically.

According to him, as the villagers started running for safety, unknown to them the bandits had stationed themselves in strategic positions killing the villagers at sight.

He said: “At the end of the attack this morning (Friday), we counted 11 dead bodies and we are currently making arrangements for their burial while six others were seriously injured. Those injured are currently receiving treatment in a medical facility.”

He called on the state government to deploy more security personnel to the village and Kankara town to avert future occurrence of what he termed bloodbath in the area.

He added: “If more security personnel are deployed to the village, farmers who fled the village to Kankara town will return to their various farms and continue with their farming activities.”

However, the State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Gambo Isah, while confirming the incident in a text message sent to THISDAY, said only seven persons were killed by the hoodlums in the community.

He explained that a team of combined security personnel were combing the community and other neighbouring communities with a view to arresting the perpetrators of the carnage.