Armed bandits on Monday, attacked Yar Nasarawa, a community in Faskari Local Government Area of Katsina State k!lling 6 residents, including the ward head, Haruna Wakili.
Residents said the terrorists also abducted about 38 residents, including women and children and left 10 residents with gunshot injuries. They burnt down 6 houses, 8 commercial vehicles and shops in the community.
Yar Nasarawa is less than 5 kilometres from the Army Super Camp situated in Faskari. The camp was established by the former Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Buratai, in 2018.
“The attackers came prepared. I have never seen them in such number,” a resident, Auwal Liman, who said he ran into the bush during the attack, said. “While some of them were shooting indiscriminately, others were putting vehicles and shops on fire.”
The terrorists stormed the community around 11:00p.m. and blocked all entries and exits to ward off support from the military and members of the Community Watch Corps in the area.
The 6 dead residents were buried Tuesday morning in the community, according to Mr Liman.
“We are in a sorry situation. We can’t go to the farm. When we stay away from our farms and local markets, the terrorists follow us into our communities and kill us. Our lives hardly matter,” Mr Liman lamented.
Motorcycle-riding terrorists have been unleashing mayhem on residents in the north-west for over a decade. leading to numerous of humanitarian crises in the sub-region.
“The terrorists were merciless in yesterday’s attack,” a resident, Abdullahi Adamu, said. “They burnt down a child. They took him inside his mother’s room set the room ablaze and slaughtered another old man in the same house. It was barbaric.”
Mr Adamu, who said he climbed a rock outside the community and waited till early morning, said he has lost hope in the government and security agencies.
The police spokesperson in the state, Abubakar-Sadik Aliyu, confirmed the attack to journalists in Katsina but did not provide the details.
“The Commissioner of Police, CP Aliyu Musa, had since deployed the command’s tactical, operational and intelligence to the scene, and currently combing the surrounding bushes for the possible arrest of the perpetrators for diligent prosecution,” Mr Aliyu said.