Moses Ofodeme/Richard Ginika Izuora
About 21 persons were feared killed by bandits, in Bakali village in Fatika District, Giwa Local Government Area of Kaduna State, despite sustained police special forces campaign to rid the state of criminals.
Thenvictims include 11 members of a family, who were locked and burnt inside their house.
A member of the community, Malam Sani Bakali, who lost 11 members of his family in the attack, told newsmen the bandits stormed the community around 4pm on Tuesday and operated for two hours.
According to him: “The bandits stormed our village on Tuesday around 4pm on several motorbikes brandishing AK47 riffles.
“Immediately they came, they started moving round the village, shooting sporadically. In the process, they came to our house, set the house ablaze, with 11 people inside.
“All the 11 people are members of my family. They include three women and eight children, who are wives and children of my three younger brothers.
“They also killed two of my uncles. While on the bush path, we discovered four other corpses burnt to death.
“They equally killed two imams, one of my neighbors and a close friend of mine.
“We just performed the funeral prayer for the 21 this afternoon (Wednesday). Initially, it was 20 corpses we buried first before we later discovered one more corpse inside the bush we buried him too.
“Right now, people have fled the village. I am the only one left in the village now because I have come to pick something. I just took my brother and his two wives to Zaria. I am about leaving now myself.
“Apart from the people killed, there are nine people we are yet to see since after the incident. As it is now, we don’t know whether they have been killed or not.”
When contacted Kaduna State Police Command’s PPRO, ASP Muhamnad Jalige confirmed the attack though he could not confirm the casualty figures.
According to ASP Jalige: “Yes, there was an attack in Giwa, Bakali village to precise and we have sent a team of Police officers and men there to ascertain the situation of things. We are going to get across to you as soon as we have the details.”