Armed men, suspected to be bandits, have attacked Tsauwa village, Batsari Local Government Area, Katsina State, killing 21 residents, while many houses were set ablaze.
The gunmen attacked about 11.30pm on Monday and operated into wee hours of Tuesday morning, killing 19 persons in this particular location.
They were earlier reported to have also attacked Ajiya and Yasore villages, where they killed two persons and rustled more than 35 cattle.
A resident in Tsauwa community said the gunmen came in their numbers, riding on motorcycles, and shooting sporadically to scare residents.
“When they came, they started shooting and pursuing people who were trying to escape to the farmlands.
“They even shot some people who had managed to escape and killed several persons and wounded many others.
“As at last count, they killed 19 persons and we buried them this morning (Tuesday) while the wounded have been taken to hospital for treatment.
“They also set fire to many houses in the village, including food stores, and carted away valuables, including domestic animals.
“The gunmen had come to our community some 15 days ago, but had met some resistance from residents,” he added.
Confirming the report, the Magajin Yasore, Abdurazak Mamman, told journalists that the bandits went away with their animals.
He called on government to intensify efforts in securing the area so that farmers could go back to their farms to ease the economic situation facing many.
The lawmaker representing the area in the state House of Assembly, Hon. Jabir Yusuf also lamented to his colleagues over the situation.
Yusuf, during a recent legislative session a few days ago, said the security situation had become worrisome and that his constituency members were being attacked almost on daily basis.
He said 28 persons who were kidnapped some two months ago by bandits, had yet to be released and that no request for ransom was made by their abductors.
He said: “We don’t know where those 28 persons are, and they have been missing for the past two months, with no information about their whereabouts.
“My constituency needs help to address this security challenges which occur on almost daily basis, and the House needs to look at how it can come in in this regard.”
Spokesperson for the police command in the state, SP Gambo Isah while confirming both incidents, said the command was working with the DPO in the area to ascertain extent of the incident.
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