KATSINA – No fewer than 40 people have lost their lives, with several others injured as a result of bandits’ attack in villages on the fringes of Dutsinma and Safana local government areas of Katsina State.
The attacks occurred barely 24 hours before the visit to Katsina State of the Nigeria Minister of Defence, Muhammad Badaru Abubakar to military formations under his ministry.
Checks revealed that the minister was on tour to the 17 Brigade Headquarters and Barracks to boost the morale of officers and soldiers to rid the state of the menace of the miscreants.
A source said on Tuesday, June 4, 2024, about 150 armed bandits on motorcycles unleashed mayhem on the villages killing over 4O people, injuring several others and looting their property.
Some of the villages targeted by the hoodlums include Kawai Mai Zurfi, Sabon Gari Unguwar Banza, Dogon Ruwa, Sanawar Kurecen Dutsi, Unguwar Bera, Kuricin Kulawa, Larabar Tashar Mangoro, Sabaru, Ashata, among several other villages in Safana Local Government Area.
Similarly, on Wednesday night and early Thursday morning, they also attacked Dogon Ruwa, ‘Yar Kuka, Rimi, Lezumawa, and other villages near Safana on the border with Dutsinma.
At present, a source told the Saturday INDEPENDENT that residents from over 15 villages have fled their homes, with some seeking refuge in Dutsinma town and others in Turare village to escape the bandits’ onslaught.
Information filtering out, further revealed that the affected injured victims were receiving medical treatment at the Federal Teaching Hospital in Katsina.
Efforts made by our reporter to get the state Police Public Relations Officer’s reactions to the unfortunate incident, however, proved abortive.
It would be recalled that bandit attacks had been escalating in various parts of Katsina State, with recent incidents reported in Batsari, Kankara and Faskari LGAs.
This is also coming after the state Governor, Malam Dikko Umaru Radda, while reeling out his administration’s achievements during his first anniversary in office recently, told journalists that significant progress had been made in combating banditry, which according to him, has attained 70% success in the state.
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