November 7, 2023

At least five persons have been killed and several others wounded after bandits armed with sophisticated weapons attacked Sayaya village in Matazu Local Government Area of Katsina State.

This fresh attack came on Monday night. A security official, whose name was withheld, confirmed the incident to Channels Television in a phone call on Tuesday.

He noted that seven persons were abducted by the hoodlums to an unknown destination.

The incident is coming barely a day after a similar one happened in the neighboring Musawa LGA. Sunday’s attack happened around 10 p.m. with the bandits invading Maulud Celebration Ground at Rugar Kusa Community, killing and slaughtering fourteen persons who attended the celebration.

The attack, which is suspected to be a reprisal, lasted over an hour and the assailant kidnapped not less than 20 residents in the assault.

Some residents told Channels Television that the attackers on arrival at the venue started shooting sporadically with sophisticated weapons to scare the residents.

Six of the persons killed were from the Rugar Kusa community, two from Gidan Malamai, and six from Yar Unguwa of Musawa and Matazu LGAs.

In the wake of the incident, those injured were taken to the Musawa General Hospital and the Federal Teaching Hospital, Katsina for treatment.

‘They Fired Gunshots’

An eyewitness Abdulaziz Ibrahim narrated how the attackers stormed the celebration venue, shooting sporadically.

“One of the bandits first passed across the Maulud venue and called my name, after I answered him surprisingly, the next thing I heard was twin gunshots arising from different directions. I quickly fell down from my chair and crawled down towards the backyard,” he told Channels Television.

“After the bandits surrounded the venue of the celebration, they fired gunshots at the participant, injuring many and abducting several others. After they eventually left the area, we found the corpses of our students lying down in flooding blood.”

According to him, security agencies could not respond to their distress call on time but expressed relief over the government’s promise to tackle insecurity in the North-West state.

“We called for reinforcement from the police and other security forces but before they responded to the distress call, the hoodlums had left into the nearby forest which serves as their hideouts,” he added. “We are happy that, the governor was here with us this morning for a sympathy visit where. He assured us that, banditry has come to an end in Katsina State.”