Bandits Kill Monarch, 5 Others, Abduct 38 In Katsina

Suspected bandits have attacked Yar Nasarawa community in Faskari local government area of Katsina State, killing six persons, including a traditional ruler.

The attackers also burnt houses, vehicles and abducted about 38 residents of the area.

A credible source, who is a resident of the area, said about 10 persons also sustained various degrees of injuries, while eight commercial vehicles, six houses and shops were burnt in the community that is less than five kilometres from the Army Super Camp in Faskari local government area.

Residents said the terrorists abducted about 38 residents, including women and children and left 10 residents with gunshot injuries.

He said, “The assailants came prepared, I have never seen them in such number.”

An eyewitness, Auwal Liman, also said that he narrowly escaped to the bush during the attack. He explained that while some bandits were shooting indiscriminately, others were setting vehicles and buildings ablaze.

“We are in a sorrowful situation, we can’t go to the farm. And even when we decided to stay off from our farms and local markets, the terrorists still follow us to our communities and kill us. Our lives hardly matter,” he lamented.

Findings revealed that the terrorists stormed the community around 11pm and blocked all entry and exit points to ward off support from the military and members of the Community Watch Corps in the area.

The State Police Command’s spokesperson, Abubakar-Sadik Aliyu, confirmed the attack but did not provide the details.

He said, “The Commissioner of Police, CP Aliyu Musa, had since deployed the command’s tactical, operational and intelligence to the scene, and currently combing the surrounding bushes for the possible arrest of the perpetrators for diligent prosecution.”

Yar Nasarawa is less than five kilometres away from the Army Super Camp in Faskari. The camp was established by a former Chief of Army Staff, General Tukur Buratai, in 2018.