Gunmen, suspected to be bandits, on Wednesday evening attacked Gatakawa, a community in Kankara Local Government Area in Katsina State killing five police personnel and three civilian residents of the village.
The Katsina State Police Command spokesperson, Gambo Isa, confirmed the incident to journalists on Thursday evening.
Meanwhile, a source, who pleaded anonimity, said that after the attack on the community, the terrorists pursued some residents who had fled into the bush.
He said the community was deserted after the attack.
“They killed three of our elderly people in the area because they couldn’t run away. They shot them dead,” he said.
He said several residents were wounded during the attack and an unspecified number of domestic animals rustled.
“We can’t say how many people have been wounded or even dead because most of us have not returned to the community but I was told that some of our people are in the hospital in Kankara town. Several people have not seen relatives and parents,” he said.
He said one of the police officers killed was a mobile police officer in the area.
Meanwhile, the police spokesperson, Isa, said the slain police officers were on special duty in the state.
Isa, who said the command had launched an investigation into the killing, said the police officers were posted to the state from neighbouring Kano State.
He said more than 300 gunmen attacked the community with assault weapons.
“The terrorists were over three hundred (300) and they were fully armed. The five policemen are from Kano State and they were on special duty at Gatikawa. The terrorists attacked them at 6.45 p.m.
“The terrorists also killed three civilians. An investigation is already in progress over the matter by the Katsina State Police Command to unravel the circumstances surrounding the incident,” he said.
Terror gangs have disrupted the lives of thousands of people. They have killed hundreds of farmers and have stopped even more from growing crops. They have also targeted students, abducting them from their schools.
These incessant attacks on communities in the North-west of the country have led to one of the worst humanitarian crises in the history of the country with thousands of people either killed or displaced.
