21 K!lled As Bandits Attack Katsina Community

Suspected bandits have killed 21 people in Baure village, Safana Local Government Area, Katsina State.

It was reported that several other people were declared missing following the incident on Tuesday, January 7, 2025.

DSP Abubakar Sadiq, spokesperson for the State Police Command, confirmed the incident in a statement on Friday, saying that suspected armed bandits attacked a joint team of Katsina State Community Watch Corps and vigilante members 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 statement read.

“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.”

Meanwhile, in a phone call with Punch, a Baure local denied claims that the Community Watch Corps and vigilante members were on a condolence mission, claiming instead that they were there to combat bandits.

He explained that Baure is one among the bandit-controlled localities in Katsina’s Safana local government area.

“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,” he said.

“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.

“In Wurma, houses and shops were also set on fire.”