Not less than 25 people were reportedly killed by bandits who attacked a gathering of Maulud celebrants in Kusa, a community in Musawa local government area of Katsina State.
This is coming after terrorists killed at least 15 rice farmers from the Zabarmari community of Borno State, who were harvesting crops in Karkut, Bulabulin and Koshebe in Mafa LGA of the state.
According to Daily Trust, there were conflicting figures as to the number of fatalities in the Katsina attack, as locals said 25 were killed, even as the police said seven victims were shot on the spot, while 18 injured were evacuated to the hospital in Musawa.
In Borno, the police confirmed the attack but could not specify the death figure, saying they would make that known in due course.
The Maulud celebrants were said to be from different villages of the state, including Rugar Kusa in Musawa Local Government and Gidan Malamai, as well as Yar Unguwa in Matazu LGA.
Several others sustained gunshot injuries, with no fewer than 17 admitted at the Katsina General Teaching Hospital for bullet extraction and others admitted at the Musawa General Hospital for treatment of injuries.
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, Daily Trust reports.
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.
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