Armed gangs killed
at least 153 persons in seven reported attacks in Katsina between April and the
murder of a village head on June 14, SaharaReporters has gathered.
A check of reported
cases across different media platforms found an AFP report of 57 murders on
June 11 to be the bloodiest day in the killing spree of the rustlers and
looters.
Nigerians have been
protesting the killings in Katsina.
Following the
reported killing of 30 persons in February, the bandits cooled-off in March but
resumed maiming, shooting, raping and rustling of cattle on April 19, according
to media reports.
Police spokesperson
in the state, Gambo Isah, put the death toll from the attack on communities
across the local government areas of Dutsinma, Danmusa and Safana at 47.
Isah was not
forthcoming with further details of the assault but told journalists through a
statement that police, army, air force, civil defence and DSS personnel had
been deployed to restore normalcy.
Six days later on
April 25, Thisday released a publication saying the killings had been ongoing
for three weeks.
It described the
attacks on April 18, which the police spokesperson reported on the 19th, as a
watershed point. The report said 73 bodies were evacuated from 12 villages
across four LGAs.
Residents of the
victimized communities said the bandits were demanding relief materials provided by the federal
government for persons displaced by their activities. They abducted some people
when leaving.
On May 2, Daily
Trust reported that criminal elements ransacked Madobai and Dannakwabo villages
in Kankara local government and killed three. The report spoke of four more
deaths in the neighbouring communities of Mabai and Katsalle, only the three in
the lead of the story was noted in the total, however.
The piece said the
bandits asked the villagers to pay N5m to deter them from launching further
attacks. This increased the reported deaths to 76.
Four days later on
May 6, Tribune quoted the embattled Governor of Katsina State, Aminu Bello
Masari, as saying five persons were murdered in multiple assaults by the armed robbers.
The attacks took place in Faskari and Sabuwa LGAs.
A divisional police
officer, Aminu Abdulkarim, and the administrative head of Dan Musa LGA, Yahaya
Sabuwa, were kidnapped as well. This attack increased the reported skirmishes
to 81.
On May 9, Mr Gambo
Isah confirmed the death of a 57-year-old man during an attack by the bandits
on two villages in Batsari Local Government. He said an unspecified number of
cattle and sheep were rustled as well. This increased the number of reported
deaths to 82.
Three weeks passed
before another media reported killing happened in Katsina on May 30. The police
spokesperson told Channels and AFP that 13 persons were murdered by the cattle
rustlers in a duel with the better-armed criminals.
Between June 10 and
June 11, media houses were reporting an assault in Kadisau village in faskari
LGA. SaharaReporters reported that at least 40 persons were shot dead in the
attack which started on Tuesday night, June 9 and lasted till Wednesday morning
June 10, without any interference.
AFP reported from
several sources that six villages were affected and 57 corpses were seen. Lots
of livestock were stolen in the raid and some 24 persons were left with bullet
wounds. The massacre tallied the media-recorded murders up to 152.
Just two days later,
it was again reported that the robbers had killed the village district head of
Mazoji in Matazu LGA. The hoodlums are said to have had a free reign of
operation from Friday, June 12 to Saturday, June 13. This solitary kill brought
the total deaths to 153.
Fuelling the attacks
DailyTrust reported
before the June 9 raid on Faskari that the Katsina State government signed two
peace accords with the bandits, in January 2017 and September 2019.
In both
negotiations, the state government appeared not to have the vantage point. They
were unable to disarm and reintegrate them.
Reprisal
Thisday quoted
sources affected by the April 18 attack as well as the police public relations
officer, Gambo Isah, as saying that several houses owned by persons of Fulani
extraction were burnt down by the Yankasai vigilante in vengeance for an attack
on Kuraichi village in Dutsin-Ma Local Government.
In the February
raid, which led to the death of 30 people, the President was quoted as advising
villagers not to go against the marauders who have superior firepower.
Population
explosion, and the absence of a state-driven response to climate change, have
also been identified by experts as reasons for the economic destabilisation of
the youth population in the entire North-West zone, fuelling the banditry.
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