Agaju Madugba, Katsina
No fewer than four persons were killed when armed bandits invaded the Tsayu village in Jibia Local Government Area of Katsina State on Sunday night.
The Katsina State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), ASP Anas Gezawa, who confirmed the incident, noted that the hoodlums equally rustled a number of cattle from the community and escaped into the nearby forest.
The police, in a statement, explained that the victims, along with a number of other villagers, were in hot pursuit of the bandits, ostensibly to recover their cattle, before the hoodlums turned and attacked them, killing four persons.
The statement urged the people to always synergize and cooperate with security agencies in dealing with the menace of cattle rustlers, kidnapping, armed banditry, armed robbery and all other forms of criminal activities in the state.
The incident occurred days after President Muhammadu Buhari visited Batsari to condole over 1,000 residents from across eight of the 34 local government areas in the state who had fled their homes due to the activities of cattle rustlers and bandits.
The President vowed that the perpetrators would be brought to justice and that his government would tackle insecurity and other challenges confronting the nation.
The latest attack may have also violated some terms of the recent truce which the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, claimed he had reached with a cross section of bandits operating in the North-West zone, after a recent meeting with them in Katsina.
At the end of the meeting, which also had all the governors from the zone in attendance, the bandits and the local vigilance groups were urged to surrender their arms and ammunition and also release all persons under their captivity.
For Katsina State, Jibia, Batsari, Safana, Dan-Musa, Kankara, Faskari, Dandume and Sabuwa, described as “front line spots” are the local government areas worst hit by the seeming endless attacks by bandits and other criminal elements.
The affected locations share boundaries with the Rugu Forest, which runs through parts of the neighbouring Republic of Niger to Katsina, Zamfara and Kaduna States.
