How 71 people were killed by bandits in Katsina communities (Video) 

Seven towns in Katsina State’s Bakori Local Government Area are in turmoil after vigilantes and locals were ambushed by bandits.

Residents said that as of Sunday, they had buried 71 bodies, and they were still  mourning their losses because some familiar faces had not yet been seen when our reporter visited several of the areas yesterday.

Communities in the Bakori LGA that are affected include Jargaba, Gidan Gago, Gidan Alhaji Audu Gari, Gidan Shirai, Gidan Baushe, Unguwar Gogai, and Dicika. When they got lost, the victims had gathered to recover the animals that the thieves had stolen. 

However, the brutal confrontation that left an undetermined number of casualties occurred in the settlements of Gidan Gwanki and Gidan Damo in the state’s Kankara LGA. 

Both the local administrations of Kankara and Bakori are troubled by the criminal actions of the bandits who steal cattle and abduct people for ransom, among other  crimes. 

As the attack touched various areas, one of the vigilante leaders from the  organizations who took part in the fight but did not want his identity made the statement that there might have been more casualties.

However, he asserted that there may have been much over 100 casualties on the side of  the bandits.  

A local who lost his brother and only went by the name Abdullahi claimed that the pain they were going through was indescribable. 

“I don’t need to describe to you the level of suffering we are currently experiencing. “It is really painful and terrible to lose a loved one”. 

In addition to the sadness of his brother’s passing, he said, his brother left behind wives and children who have now become orphans, which would be another grave  subject of anxiety.

Usman’s mother, who also lost her son, Usman, spoke of her sorrow and claimed  that her son’s passing on that day was predetermined. She claimed that Usman,  who had died at the young age of 25, had left behind a young wife and tiny child.  

However, the locals emphasized their readiness and commitment to retaliate and  defend themselves once the bandits make another effort to attack.

Also, they bemoaned the fact that the police had taken their locally made weaponry, which they often used to defend their communities, and they wanted guarantees that they demanded assurances that this would not happen again.  

What happened – Eyewitnesses 

Sources close to the scene of the clash told The Street Journal what happened. 

“Frankly, I was one of those who evacuated the corpses,” a security source in  Kankara who requested anonymity said.  

“So far, I’ve seen 41 bodies evacuated and later heard that about 28 more were evacuated, but I wasn’t present for the last operation.

“It was a clash between some Fulani settlements and members of vigilante groups who mobilized from villages in  Bakori LGA.

“Because the investigation is still ongoing, we were unable to determine what  caused the problem.

“But from what we have gathered is that some bandits went to those areas and  rustled some animals and residents of the communities mobilized and followed the footpath that led them to the main road, not close to those Fulani hamlets.

“However, because they were notorious in the area, the vigilante decided to search  their cattle and possibly impound some of them in the hopes of convincing those  who rustled their cattle to return them, believing that they knew the bandits.

“This was how the clash started and by the time we got the information, about 18  people were killed.  

“When we arrived, both sides had retreated, and we assumed the fight was over, not realizing that they had all returned to regroup, mobilize more fighters, and return.

“We couldn’t go back because it was late at night and our Armored Personnel  Carrier (APC) was broken.

“The following morning (on Friday), we got reinforcement from the military that came with APC, together we went to the scene and evacuated 20 corpses.  

“The second time, the Funtua area commander arrived with two APCs, and we went and evacuated another 15 corpses, followed by six more, for a total of 41 on  Friday.”

On Saturday, the Chairman of Bakori Local Government arrived with the victims’ families.

They rented a truck, and by then, our APC had been repaired.  

They went around the scene and recovered more bodies, but because I wasn’t there, I don’t know the exact number, but some were saying 28 or so,” the source said. 

According to The Street Journal, the vigilantes carried out a retaliation on the Gidan Gamji community about a year ago, killing people and setting their huts on fire, during which the Fulani declared that it would never happen again.

“As a result, the initial clash took place at Gidan Gwanki, about three kilometers away from the Fulani settlement.  

“When they retreated and returned, they met at Gidan Damo village, where the fighting intensified and many were killed,” a source close to the area told our reporter.

According to another source, 41 dead bodies were discovered on Friday and 32 more on Saturday, bringing the total number of casualties to 73.