At least over 40 persons were killed over the weekend in Katsina and Kaduna states by terrorists.
It has been reported that no fewer than 23 villagers were killed and several others injured on Saturday as terrorists invaded villages in Kankara communities, Katsina State.
According to the reports, those killed include 21 males and two females while many others sustained various degrees of injuries.
The hoodlums were said to have earlier on Friday attended the wedding party (Walima) of one of their kingpins, identified as ‘Mai Katifa Mutuwa’ at Majifa Village, but stayed back in the neighbourhood till Saturday to launch the attack.
“Instead of leaving peacefully after the wedding party, the bandits chose to invade nearby villages in the area on Saturday. They attacked several settlements, including Danmarke, Gidan Sale, Gidan Sarka, Gidan Jiho, Gidan Ancho, among others.
“Some vigilantes attempted to stop the hoodlums, but they were not enough to match their fighting power as they unleashed mayhem on the neighbourhood.
“This morning, we gathered that 23 villagers were killed in the attack. We attended the burial rites of some of them this morning”, a resident was quoted to have said.
According to the source, “many people were also injured in the attack. Some of them have since been conveyed to Kankara General Hospital while others to hospitals in the state capital, Katsina.”
Another source from the area said some of the terrorists were killed in the bloody clash though he could not ascertain their number.
Confirming the report, SP Gambo Isah, spokesman, Katsina State Police Command, said they received information that “some group of bandits from Zamfara, came for celebration and later attacked Majifa village.”
Gambo also noted that the police and other sister security agencies are on top of the matter, promising to provide detailed information as soon as it is available.
It would be recalled that recently, some communities in Kankara LGA of Katsina State have been under incessant attack by terrorists.
Notable among them is the February 2, 2023, killing of over 100 people when ‘Yan Sakai’ vigilante members ran into an ambush during the Bakori-Kankara crisis.
It would also be recalled that earlier this year, some women were abducted while heading to Church at Gidan Haruna in Kankara. The police are yet to confirm whether they have been released or not.
In a related development, Kaduna state government has imposed a 24-hour curfew in some Local Government Areas of the state following attacks by yet to be identified gunmen during which 17 people were killed.
The attack was said to have been perpetrated by many gunmen who stormed parts of the LGA at about 7:00 pm on Saturday.
A resident in the LGA said 17 corpses have been recovered in the wake of the attack.
Zangon Kataf is one of the LGAs in the southern part of Kaduna that has witnessed killings over the years due to a complex number of problems including farmer-herder conflicts.
“The gunmen in their large numbers came at about 7:00 pm yesterday (Saturday),” the resident said via telephone on Sunday.
“As I am talking to you, we have so far recovered 17 corpses”, the resident said.
Jonathan Asake, the gubernatorial candidate of the Labour Party (LP), hails from the LGA.
Following the attack, the Zangon Kataf local administration council imposed a 24-hour curfew.
Yabo Ephraim, the media aide to the LGA chairman, said the curfew would enable the army to restore peace and order in the affected areas.
“A 24-hour curfew has been imposed on Ungwan Juju, Mabuhu, Ungwan Wakili and Zangon Urban with immediate effect,” Ephraim said in a terse statement.
“This is to allow men of the Nigerian army to restore peace on that axis”, he said.
