Residents of Wurma community in Kurfi Local Government Area of Katsina state have been thrown into panic on Tuesday as some vigilante members slaughtered 11 Fulani herdsmen after accusing them of terrorising their areas.
Residents said the herdsmen were patronising the local market before they were handpicked and killed by the vigilante members amidst hundreds of people.
A source who pleaded anonymous because of security reasons said that the vigilante members accused the victims of being responsible for terrorising Kurfi, and Batsari Local Government Areas resulting to raping, maiming and looting of valuables in the area.
It was gathered that the victims were taken to Dutsin Karare where they were killed after brief detention at the vigilante’s custody in Kurfi local council area.
Residents say they fear reprisal attacks because the victims could be innocent and wrongly accused by the vigilante members. This is because the hardened criminals hardly patronize local markets because they are afraid of arrest.
Many other residents believed that such people have to be killed as long as they are herdsmen. If they are not criminals, they are harbouring their criminal brothers coming from neighbouring Zamfara State.
The police spokesperson for Katsina State, Gambo Isah, confirmed the incident to journalists. He said the Command condemned the extrajudicial killing, describing the action of the volunteers as gruesome and unacceptable.
He said security personnel have launched a manhunt for the vigilante members responsible for the killings.
The police said: “We met the 11 corpses of the slaughtered victims and we are suspecting vigilante members for the murder and that their action contravened the constitution of Federal Republic of Nigeria and it is unconstitutional for anybody to take (the) law into his hand.
“We are working hard to arrest those who carried out the act to face the wrath of the law. No sane society will condone this kind of act and that was why the Katsina State Government banned the activities of Yan-Sakai in the state,” the police said.
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