In Katsina, while some locals claimed 25 were killed, the state police command confirmed seven dead and 18 injured who had been taken to the hospital in Musawa.
The Nigeria Police Force has confirmed the killing of scores of people, including women and children by terrorists, locally dubbed as bandits in Katsina and Borno states respectively in different attacks.
In Katsina, while some locals claimed 25 were killed, the state police command confirmed seven dead and 18 injured who had been taken to the hospital in Musawa.
Meanwhile in Borno, the police confirmed the attack but could not specify the fatalities saying they would make that known in due course.
A father of one of the victims, Malam Salisu, said they heard gunshots around 10:30 pm while their children were attending Maulud celebrations, during which he said 23 people were killed and 16 others injured, including his 9-year-old son.
“We brought the 16 injured victims to the hospital, but two died along the way, making the number of dead 25,” he said, adding that before the arrival of security forces, the attackers had fled back to their hideouts.
Another victim, who survived with a gunshot injury in his arm and a machete cut in his knee, was taken to the Federal Teaching Hospital in Katsina, where he was admitted.
Narrating his ordeal, he said, “They surrounded us and started shooting. When people began to run for their lives, they shot and killed some while using knives to slaughter others.
“They shot my arm and used a machete to inflict this injury in my knee while they were saying this should be a sign for us as our people were lying dead,” he said.
Governor Dikko Umar Radda of Katsina State was in the affected communities to commiserate with the victims and their families.
He restated his administration’s resolve to tackle the problem of banditry and other criminalities in the state.
Also, the member representing Musawa/Matazu federal constituency, Abdullahi Aliyu Ahmed (Talban Musawa), who visited the affected villages as well as the hospital to commiserate with the victims and their families, described the situation as pathetic.
“These are people who don’t even have basic social amenities, yet they are not allowed to live their lives in peace. It is really pathetic, and we will definitely come to their rescue by providing these social amenities as well as ensuring their security,” he said.
Ahmed said more than 20 people were reported missing and he donated some cash to support victims both in the villages and at the hospital.
Confirming the incident via a press release, the police spokesman in Katsina, ASP Abubakar Sadiq Aliyu, said the bandits attacked, shot seven on the spot, and injured 18 other people who were evacuated to the hospital in Musawa.
“They were evacuated to the hospital for treatment. Later on, two of them died. Further investigation is ongoing to bring the perpetrators of these acts to justice,” he said.
Meanwhile, no fewer than 15 rice farmers from the Zabarmari community who were harvesting their crops in Karkut, Bulabulin, and Koshebe in Mafa LGA of Borno State were killed following a clash between suspected Boko Haram and ISWAP terrorists.
Recall that Zabarmari is a farming community located about 25 kilometres from Maiduguri town, where the massacre of 110 rice farmers took place on November 28, 2020.
The Borno State Police Command Public Relations Officer (PPRO), ASP Nahum Daso Kenneth, confirmed the incident, saying the command was still gathering information on the attack.