Residents of Kankara town in southern Katsina were rattled by a daring bandits’ attack that led to the death of a man and the abduction of a woman on Thursday.
On Friday morning, the bandits also attacked Gurbi, a nearby community and abducted three people, including the deputy Imam of the village.
Kankara is one of the areas that has entered into a peace deal with bandits in Katsina State, but 21st Century Chronicles reports that attacks have continued there.
Kankara town attack
Most attacks were witnessed in rural communities and on rural roads; however, the bandits struck around 09:00 pm immediately after the Isha’i and Tarawih prayers on Thursday.
The bandits drove into the town on motorcycles and made their way into Unguwar Mangwarori, shooting into the air.
“I had barely sat down to eat when the gunshot began,” Ismail Lawal, a resident, told 21st Century Chronicle over the phone. “I prayed on the same row with Malam Sirajo a few minutes before they killed him.”
Sirajo, the man who was killed in the town, was said to have been walking towards his house from the mosque when he was shot severely by a bandit, a family member, who asked not to be named, said.
“They circled the area, shooting sporadically in the air and mocking us,” Ismail Lawal continued. “Later, they took away an old woman, Gwamma, whose house is not far away from mine.”
Salihu Mustapha, a youth leader, said the bandits took advantage of the Tarawih prayers and surprised the town.
“But it’s surprising that we still witness an attack in a big town like Kankara. Every time the bandits come, they always have their way. It’s tiring and heartbreaking,” he said.
A member of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in the state who is from the area, Jamil Yahaya Kankara, called on the authorities to ensure adequate security is provided in the area and the state.
Early morning attack in Gurbi
Around 7:00 am on Friday, the bandits also stormed Gurbi, a community under Kankara, shooting sporadically.
“It’s their way of showing that they’re more strategic and prepared by our security agents. I’m very confused that this could be allowed to occur, especially after the attack in the town,” a local government council official who also asked not to be named because he is not authorised to speak told this reporter.
The bandits went to the house of the deputy chief Imam of the village and took him away, the official said.
“They (bandits) also took two more people who were sitting outside their houses during the attack.”
Police spokesman in the state, Abubakar Sadik Aliyu, didn’t respond to an SMS sent to him as his known phone number was unreachable as of the time of filing this story.
