Terrorists Attack Katsina Village, Kill Policeman, Three Civilians

Francis Sardauna in Katsina 

A riot police officer and three civilians have been killed and many others injured by gunmen suspected to be terrorists in a fresh attack on Gatigawa village in Kankara Local Government Area of Katsina State.

It was gathered that the slain policeman, who was among the riot police officers stationed at a checkpoint along Kankara-Sheme road, was killed in a fierce gun duel with the terrorists in Gatigawa village.

A resident of the area, Kabir Tukur, told THISDAY on Thursday that the incident occurred on Wednesday at about 5:30pm when the policemen responded to a distress call by residents of the village.

The state Police Public Relations Officer, SP Gambo Isah, also confirmed the incident while responding to a message sent to his telephone line by THISDAY.

Tukur added that some residents were hit by stray bullets and got injured while escaping from the rampaging terrorists, who he said, stormed the village on more than 10 motorcycles with AK-47 rifles and other sophisticated weapons.

According to him, “The terrorists numbering over 50 on motorcycles entered our village (Gatigawa) from a rough pathway and started shooting sporadically. We called riot policemen stationed at a checkpoint close to us here.

“They came and engaged them (terrorists) in a serious gun duel. Unfortunately, the terrorists killed one riot policeman and three members of the community even as they moved from house to house in a shooting spree.

“How some of us escaped to a safer area yesterday (Wednesday) is still like a miracle to us. We could see and hear bullets hitting buildings. They injured many people during the attack and rustled some animals.”

He added that those who sustained varying degrees of injuries during the invasion were rushed to hospitals by security personnel, just as the military positioned its vehicles with heavily armed personnel in the area in the early hours of Thursday.