By Deborah Nnamdi
At least 13 people were killed on Tuesday afternoon when armed bandits attacked Doma community in the Tafoki area of Faskari Local Government Area of Katsina State, destroying houses, shops, and vehicles and leaving many residents homeless.
The attack, which occurred at about 4:30 pm, came barely five months after a peace agreement was reached in the area. The assailants, armed with weapons including AK-47 rifles, reportedly invaded the community, shooting residents and setting property ablaze before fleeing.
Chairman of Faskari Local Government Area, Sirajo Daudawa, described the incident as a suspected reprisal attack, saying the community had enjoyed relative calm in recent months. He said as many as 20 people were feared killed, with several houses and vehicles burned, adding that security agencies were informed but arrived after the attackers had left.
Daudawa said the bodies of the victims were recovered in the Tafoki area and would be buried on Wednesday, while he extended condolences to the affected families, the Doma community, and Katsina State at large.
The Katsina State Police Command, however, confirmed that 13 people were fatally shot during the attack. In a statement issued on Tuesday night by the command’s spokesman, Abubakar Sadiq, the Commissioner of Police, Bello Shehu, condemned the assault and commiserated with the families of the victims.
The statement said the Divisional Police Officer mobilized operatives in collaboration with the military and members of the Katsina State Community Watch Corps to the scene, but the bandits had escaped before their arrival. The police added that additional resources had been deployed to investigate the attack and track down those responsible, noting that normalcy had since been restored to the area.
Further details, the police said, would be communicated in due course.
