The Katsina State Police Command Public Relations Officer, DSP Abubakar Sadiq, has confirmed that suspected armed bandits attacked a joint team of the Katsina State Community Watch Corps and vigilante members, who were returning from a condolence visit and fatally shot 21 people.
“On January 7, 2025, in Baure village, Safana LGA, Katsina State, some suspected armed bandits attacked a joint team of the Katsina State Community Watch Corps and vigilante members, who were returning from a condolence visit. The incident occurred around 16:30hrs, prompting a swift response from police operatives attached to Safana Divisional Headquarters, who rushed to the scene and restored normalcy.
“Sadly, twenty-one people were fatally shot as a result of the attack.
“Efforts are currently underway to ensure the arrest of the perpetrators of this dastardly act. Further developments will be communicated in due course as the investigation progresses,” DSP Sadiq said.
Meanwhile, a resident of Baure, in a telephone interview, debunked reports that the Community Watch Corps and vigilante members were on a condolence visit, asserting instead that they were there to tackle bandits. He explained that Baure is one of the areas under the control of bandits in the Safana local government area of Katsina State.
He said, “It is not true that they were on a condolence visit to the family of one of their members who was killed some time ago. There is no security outfit in Baure village, let alone the CWC. Anyone living there is under the control of bandits.
“Bandits regularly come to the market, and the joint security team was there to confront the hoodlums. I’m repeating, they were not on a condolence visit.
“Unfortunately for them, the bandits overpowered them because they had been informed that the joint security team would be coming and had reinforced their numbers. This is why the casualties were massive. Many were killed, and many more were injured. The number of dead exceeds 20.
“It was during the attack that residents called for security reinforcements. They also contacted the chairman of Safana and the police when they were under attack.
“Yesterday, in Wurma, four people were killed, including two CWC members and two women, just seven kilometres away from Baure village, where the attack occurred on Tuesday. Wurma is in the Kurfi local government area, while Baure is in Safana.
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