Terrorists massacre 13 Katsina residents in fresh attack

From Agaju Madugba, Katsina

The Katsina State police command has confirmed the killing of 13 residents of Doma community, Faskari Local Government Area, by suspected terrorists, popularly referred to as bandits.

The incident occurred on February 3 at about 2 pm, according to eyewitness accounts.

A press statement by the Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Abubakar Sadiq Aliyu, said that security operatives, including soldiers and the local vigilance groups, were mobilised to the scene following distress calls from the area.

According to the statement: “Upon receipt of the report, the DPO mobilised operatives, in collaboration with the military, and members of the Katsina State Community Watch Corps (KSCWC) responded to the scene.

“Unfortunately, the assailants had fatally shot 13 persons and escaped the scene before the arrival of the operatives.

“Normalcy has since been restored to the affected area as investigations have since commenced with a view to unravelling the circumstances surrounding the incident and arresting the perpetrators.

“The Commissioner of Police, Katsina State Command, CP Bello Shehu,  Commiserates with the families and friends of the victims of the unfortunate attack, and equally condemns the attack.

“He has directed the deployment of additional resources towards the rapid investigation and arrest of the perpetrators of the dastardly act.”

The latest killings may have exposed apparent lapses in the controversial banditry negotiations involving some local government authorities in the state.

At the height of the controversy trailing the negotiations, Governor Umaru Dikko Radda had tagged the development as “Katsina model”, insisting that the local government councils involved designed the initiative to address their peculiar concerns over the banditry menace.