Francis Sardauna in Katsina
There was pandemonium and uneasy calm at Yantumaki community in Danmusa Local Government Area of Katsina State yesterday following the invasion of the community’s market by armed terrorists.
The terrorists who attacked the market with sophisticated weapons at about 3p.m., killed three traders and left seven others with varying degrees of injuries.
One of the ward heads in the area, who craved anonymity, told THISDAY in a telephone interview that the hoodlums also abducted many other traders at gunpoint and taken away into the forest
He added that the miscreants launched the attack when the market was filled to capacity, and carried out the operation for about 34 minutes, shooting sporadically into the air to force traders to abandon their wares.
The credible source explained that the terrorists also carted away food and non-food items after the traders fled the market to nearby villages for safety.
According to him, “We don’t know where many traders are right now because they haven’t started returning. A lot of goods were destroyed, apart from the ones they stole.
“Up till 6p.m., traders had not gone back to the market to pick their goods. Three traders were killed by the terrorists and their corpses were taken to the police station. They also injured seven people during the attack.”
Confirming the incident, the State Police Public Relations Officer, Gambo Isah, said the terrorists riding on four motorcycles attacked the market and shot six people and one died on the spot.
Isah, a superintendent of police, said: “Today (Friday) some terrorists attacked the GSM section of Yantumaki Market and started shooting sporadically.
“They shot six people and stole many handsets. One died and five were taken to Danmusa General Hospital. Some of them were later transferred to Dutsinma and Katsina General Hospitals. The situation is under control now.”
Following the incident, he said, police and other security agencies have adopted revolving security measures to prevent future occurrence in markets across the state.
