Twenty-four individuals have reportedly lost their lives with numerous others sustaining injuries in a recent assault by bandits in Katsina State.
According to eyewitnesses, the assailants raided Unguwar Sarkin Noma, a community in the Sabuwa Local Government Area of the state, where they killed innocent citizens, most of whom were identified as members of the local vigilante group who had apparently come out to confront them and stop their nefarious activities.
According to a local security official the bandits carried out the attack, which lasted approximately for an hour, targeting four villages as a form of retaliation for military operations carried out against their hideouts.
The official elaborated that the bandits invaded the villages of Unguwar Sarkin Noma, Gangara, Tafi, and Kore on Thursday night around 9:00 PM, firing shots indiscriminately to intimidate the residents.
Following the attack on Thursday night, the Chairman of Sabuwa Local Government Council, Faruq Dalhatu, confirmed that 23 of the victims were laid to rest in accordance with Islamic customs on Friday morning.
The final victim was also transported from the hospital to be buried after being pronounced dead.
The Katsina State Police Command has however not provided any comments on the attack.
