Bandits have again left a trail of pain in Katsina State, killing at least 24 people in fresh attacks on Jikamshi and Gwalgoro communities in Musawa and Kankia local government areas.
The trouble started Monday evening at Jikamshi market. As traders were packing up, gunmen stormed in. Seven people were shot dead on the spot. Witnesses said about 15 men on motorcycles opened fire and carted away goods worth millions of naira.
A local leader confirmed the victims were buried according to Islamic rites and warned the situation is getting out of hand. “The scale of the attack is enormous. We believe in the efforts of the state government, but the situation is beyond its control. There must be moral, financial and military support from the federal government,” he said.
Among the dead was Tukur Aliyu, who had just returned from Lagos after his daughter’s wedding. He left behind three wives and about 20 children. One of his wives cried out, “Our lives are in danger now. He was our breadwinner, struggling to keep the family going. Now he is gone, we don’t know how we will survive.”
Another victim, Rabi’u Ashiru, was killed in his shop months before his wedding. His father said, “We are completely confused. We have lost a pillar of the family. He paid school fees, fed us and catered to our needs. We don’t know what to do.”
Over in Gwalgoro, another attack on Saturday claimed more lives. While the government put the figure at 11, residents insist 17 were buried. “Death or killing is not something you can exaggerate for whatever reason, morally and religiously, so the exact number is 17 as I told you,” one resident said.
Officials said the violence followed a clash where security forces killed several bandits. Hours later, the gunmen regrouped and struck again, killing 11 people in what was described as a “cowardly assault on innocent civilians.”
