In a simultaneous attack on three communities in Malumfashi Local Government Area of Katsina State, on Wednesday morning, gunmen killed three people including a councillor, Nasir Magaji.
Residents of the communities also claimed that the gunmen abducted several people including two women during the attacks on Dutsen Reme Low-Cost Funtua, Gozaki Village in Kafur and Dan Rimi community of Malumfashi local government areas.
Abdurrahman Aliyu, a resident of Dutsen Reme who spoke to PREMIUM TIMES on the phone, said the gunmen, locally called bandits, attacked after midnight and began shooting sporadically.
“This is the second time they are attacking us this month,” he lamented. “I was watching a movie waiting for 3 am so that I could start praying when I began to hear sounds of gunshots. My cousin, who is a police officer called to tell me that they (bandits) are in the area. Later, he called to tell me that a combination of police and soldiers has chased the bandits but that Malam Buhari and one other person have been killed,” he said.
According to him, Mr Buhari, a resident of the community, was killed outside his house.
In Gozaki community, residents said the gunmen first abducted the councillor’s wives, but they returned moments later to shoot him.
The bandits took his wives but later released them and returned to the house. That was when they got him. They sprayed his body with bullets and left him there. They didn’t take anything from the house,” said a resident who asked not to be named.
The councillor, who was elected two weeks ago, was pronounced dead in a hospital in Kafur town.
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In Dan Rimi, the bandits were said to have abducted several people including two housewives.
A local journalist, Aliyu Musa, said the community has been deserted.
“As it is now, I’ve counted more than fifty people coming into Malumfashi town due to fear. Several people have been taken but two men have confirmed the bandits have taken their wives. It’s only in the afternoon that we can know how many people have been abducted. Some people may have fled into the bush,” he said.
The Katsina police command spokesman, Gambo Isa, was unreachable for comment on the attacks. He has not replied to a text message sent to him hours ago.
Like most parts of the northwest region, Katsina State is swarming with gunmen who have been attacking mostly rural communities, abducting residents and rustling livestock. Despite promises to clear the area of these gunmen, the government has failed in keeping the area safe for residents.
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