Local residents have reported the invasion yesterday, Friday, October 4, of their community in Katsina State by bandits armed with dangerous weapons and acting with so much bravado.
Witnesses said the bandits who came in their numbers invaded Dan-Ali, a community in Danmusa Local Government Area of Katsina State, disrupting Jummat prayers in multiple mosques.
The armed assailants stormed the areas, firing sporadically, causing panic and forcing worshippers to flee, witnesses further said, heightening anxiety that despite increased successes in the fight against insurgency, the North West zone remains the most security-challenged zone in Nigeria.
“We were at the Jummat prayer when we heard the shooting and everybody ran. We couldn’t hold our prayers again. Thanks, however, to the Security Watch Corps in the area that gave them a hot chase,” a witness said.
“We need reinforcement because the bandits are giving us a tough time in our communities as we speak.”
According to him, bandits have been preventing farmers from entering their farmlands in Dan-Ali and surrounding areas, including Gwarjo, Dangane, Tudun, Tasha Kadanya, and Tasha Biri.
“Many farmers have been kidnapped, and we are all scared to enter our farms,” the source added.
The police were yet to make a statement on the incident at the time of this report last night, as efforts to reach the Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Abubakar Sadiq, for comment, were unsuccessful.
