Katsina Bandits Attack: State Gov’t sends delegation as death toll reaches 100
Governor Aminu Masari of Katsina State has sent a delegation to access the clash between terrorists and the Yansakai Group in Bakori Local Government after the death toll recently rose to 100 with more corpses being recovered.
The delegation, under the leadership of the Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Muntari Lawal, also paid a condolence visit to the families of the slain victims.
READ ALSO: Katsina gov’t to set up commission of inquiry over death of 41 persons
Residents of the affected communities put the number of those killed at over one hundred, stating that more corpses are being recovered from the area because some persons in the communities are still missing.
One of the residents who hails from Guga village, Abubakar Hashimu, told News Point Nigeria that even on Friday, 63 people were buried, and on Saturday, a cantre vehicle was brought loaded with over 30 corpses, we are still anticipating more bodies,” he said.
The tragic incident happened on Thursday after several cows were rustled on Wednesday by the terrorists.
As fears of further violence spreads, villagers have deserted their various communities to seek safety elsewhere.
The state’s delegation visited Guga, Yargoje, and Gidan Gamji communities on Sunday to condole with the people, describing the situation as highly tragic for not only the victims and their families, but also for the government.
Lawal called on the residents to learn how to defend themselves as such a situation can not be singlehandedly managed by the government or security agencies alone.
“The actual number of those killed cannot be ascertained because they are still counting the dead, nobody can tell you the accurate figure because some of the bodies are scattered in the bush, they have to go and retrieve them.
“As we are counting the number, so also the bandits. So people should learn to be courageous enough to confront the devil before they finish them.
“Don’t wait for government, because before government intervenes the damage has been done, so organise yourselves to confront them,” Lawal asserted.
The Katsina State Government had on Friday announced plans to inaugurate a commission of inquiry to investigate the immediate and remote causes of the killings.
According to the Special Adviser to the governor on security matters, Alhaji Ibrahim Ahmad Katsina, the state will remain proactive in addressing similar conflicts that led to some casualties which are still being investigated.
Katsina explained that not all the bodies recovered are members of the volunteer Yansakai group but some belong to the terrorists.
While sympathizing with the families of the victims, the government urged members of the public to stop taking laws into their hands and ensure that they always cooperate with security agencies in their areas.
He maintained that the state government is on top of the situation as normalcy has since returned to the area with security forces dominating the scene.
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