At least 42 members of a vigilante group were killed by terrorists in Kankara’s Yargoje forest in Katsina State On Thursday night, PREMIUM TIMES has found out.
Police confirmed the killing and said two other guards were injured in the attack.
President Muhammadu Buhari on Sunday condemned the massacre of 42 members of the Yan Sakai self-defense group.
The Katsina state government has also said it will launch an inquiry panel to investigate what led to the massacre.
In a statement signed by Garba Shehu, presidential press aide, Mr. Buhari paid tribute to the vigilante members and their families.
He said they died as martyrs having died trying to prevent and punish crime in their communities.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the bereaved families at this difficult time. May Allah rest the soul of the deceased,” the president said.
The Katsina government will establish a panel
The Katsina state government has promised to launch an inquiry panel to investigate the cause of the massacre.
State government security adviser Ibrahim Katsina made this known to reporters on Saturday night as he reacted to the murder.
Katsina, a retired director of the State Security Service (SSS), said that some terrorists were also killed during the incident.
He said the panel’s goal was to investigate what really happened that led to the “disheartening” murder.
“His Excellency, Rt. The Honorable Aminu Bello Masari is concerned about the development and has directed that a commission of inquiry and an inquiry panel be established to identify the immediate and remote causes of the incident so that we can be more proactive in addressing these challenges.
“You all know that the state of Katsina has stabilized for some time, so this incident has reversed the successes we have recorded and the government will not allow it to continue. We are bringing relief to the families of the victims.
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“This event had come to us as a severe scare, very sad and unfortunate, for this reason, in addition to showing solidarity with the victims and their families, the state government is going to do what is necessary to unmask those responsible for it,” he said. saying.
How the murder happened
Police had detailed in a statement on Friday how the murder occurred.
Katsina police spokesman Gambo Isa said the terrorists attacked the home of a businessman in the Bakori local government area’s Kandarawa community on Wednesday and stole 80 pets.
“On Wednesday, 02/01/2023, at approximately 10:00 p.m., terrorists in numbers, shooting sporadically with AK 47 rifles, attacked the house of one Alhaji Muntari, at Unguwar Audu Gare, Kandarawa, Bakori LGA, and robbed fifty (50) cows. and thirty (30) sheep,” he said.
Isa said the attack prompted members of the Yan Sakai group to follow the terrorists and fight against them in order to get back the domestic animals.
“Subsequently, on Thursday 02/02/2023, around 10:00 a.m., the illegal group Yansakai, from eleven (11) villages of Bakori LGA, regrouped and pursued the terrorists in order to recover the stolen domestic animals. .
“They traced the trail of the thugs to a place in the Yargoje forest.
“Unfortunately, the terrorists planned and launched a coordinated ambush against the Yansakai. The thugs shot and killed forty-one (41) Yansakai and injured two (2),” he said in the statement.
