One Year After, Police Arrest Killer of Katsina District Head

•We killed him for accusing our leader of banditry, says suspect

Francis Sardauna in Katsina

The Katsina State Police Command, has arrested one Yusuf Abdullahi, in connection with the assassination of the District Head of Yantumaki, Alhaji Abubakar Atiku.

The 20-year-old Abdullahi, who hailed from Kagara village in Matazu local government area of the state, was apprehended by police in Karaduwa market.

THISDAY had reported that the traditional ruler was killed alongside his security guard, Gambo Isa, by the suspected bandits, who invaded the palace of the monarch on June 1, 2020.

The Command’s Public Relations Officer, Gambo Isah, who paraded the suspect alongside other criminals at the force headquarters in Katsina, said efforts were on to arrest Abdullahi’s accomplices.

Isah, a superintendent of police, said, “You may recall that on 1st June, 2020, bandits armed with sophisticated weapons, attacked the palace of Alhaji Abubakar Atiku, the District Head of Yantumaki, where they killed him and his guard, one Gambo Isa.

“We have arrested one of the bandits, Yusuf Abdullahi, 20 years. During our investigation, he confirmed that he was among those who killed the district head. He mentioned the name of their leader, one Shamsu as well as Ibrahim, Selmanu and Kabir, whom he said were in the forest”.

In an interview with journalists, Abdullahi said seven of them carried out the deadly operation with four AK-47 rifles but that it was Shamsu that killed the traditional ruler.

He explained that they killed the district head, because he was trying to arrest their leader, Shamsu, over allegations of banditry, kidnapping and cattle-rustling in the area.

He said: “We killed him, because he was trying to arrest Shamsu over accusations of banditry, kidnapping and cattle-rustling. We attacked the palace with four Ak-47 rifles.

“Seven of us carried out the operation but it was Shamsu that killed the district head. Selmanu killed his guard and we stole about N100,000 from his room but nothing was given to me.”