Bandits kill 30 in fresh Katsina, Kwara attacks

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No fewer than 30 people were killed on Tuesday in separate bandits’ attacks on communities in Katsina and Kwara states, as assailants renewed violent assaults on rural settlements, razing houses and vehicles and forcing residents to flee.

In Katsina State, at least 20 persons were killed when bandits attacked Doma community in Tafoki Ward, Faskari Local Government Area.

Residents said the assailants stormed the area unhindered, killing villagers and setting houses and vehicles ablaze before fleeing.

Confirming the incident, the Chairman of Faskari Local Government Area, Surajo Aliyu, described the attack as a reprisal and the deadliest in the area in recent months.

“This attack is a reprisal one, and it is a deadly one indeed because we had never had such an attack in the last five months in this area as it is today,” Aliyu said.

He added that security operatives were alerted but could not arrive in time to prevent the killings.

“Today, they killed at least 20 people. They burnt cars and houses during the dastardly attack. We reported the incident to security personnel, but unfortunately, they could not arrive before the bandits carried out their heinous act,” he said.

Aliyu disclosed that the bodies of the victims had been evacuated for burial scheduled for Wednesday morning in Tafoki.

“We sympathise with the people of Doma, Tafoki Ward, Faskari, and indeed the entire people of Katsina State, especially the bereaved families. May God bring an end to these senseless killings,” he said.

Faskari Local Government Area was among the councils that entered into a truce with bandits about five months ago, a development that had brought relative calm until the latest attack.

Efforts to get a reaction from the Katsina State Police Command were unsuccessful, as calls and messages to the Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Abubakar Sadiq, were not responded to as of the time of filing this report.