Bandits kill 21 people, rustle dozens of cattle in northern Nigeria

By Ibrahim Garba Shuaibu

KANO, Nigeria (AA) - Dozens of bandits on motorcycles have shot and killed 21 people, including women and children, in three communities in the Batsari local government area of northern Nigeria’s Katsina state.

Armed with rifles, they stormed Tsauwa village around 11.30 p.m. on Monday and killed 19 residents in an attack that continued into the early hours of Tuesday.

On Sunday morning, gunmen also attacked Ajiya and Yasore villages, where they killed two people and rustled more than 35 cattle.

A source in the Tsauwa community told Anadolu Agency on condition of anonymity that the gunmen rode in on motorcycles and fired shots sporadically to scare residents.

"When they came, they started shooting and pursuing people who were trying to escape to the farmlands,” he said.

"They even shot some people who had managed to escape and killed several people and wounded many others. At last count, they killed 19 people, and we buried them Tuesday, while the wounded have been taken to the hospital for treatment.”

He said the gunmen also set fire to many houses in the village as well as food shops 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.

A source in the area said the bandits simultaneously stormed the communities with sophisticated weapons and shot two people to death while three others sustained gunshot wounds.

A traditional ruler in the area, Abdurazak Mamman, confirmed the attack while speaking with Anadolu Agency.

Mamman said the victims were attacked while they were working on their farms and the bandits made off with their animals after shooting them dead.

He called on the government to intensify efforts in securing the area so that farmers can go back to their farms to ease their economic situation.

Following a spate of security challenges, a lawmaker representing the area in the State House of Assembly, Jabir Yusuf, lamented to his colleagues over the situation.

During a recent legislative session a few days ago, Yusuf said the security situation had become worrisome and his constituency members were being attacked almost on a daily basis.

He said 28 people who were kidnapped by bandits around two months ago were yet to be released and no request for ransom was made by their abductors.

"We don't know where those 28 people are, and they have been missing for the past two months, with no information about their whereabouts.

"My constituency needs help to address these security challenges, which occur on an almost daily basis, and the House needs to look at how it can work in this regard," he added.

A spokesperson for the police command in the state, Gambo Isah, confirmed both incidents.

He said the command is working with the divisional police officer in the area to ascertain the extent of the incidents.