At least 52 people were killed in the first 40 days of 2022 by non-state actors in Katsina State, THE WHISTLER’s compilation of media-reported killings has shown.
Notable among the incidents was the killing of DSP Abdullahi Rano, a Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in the Jibiya Local Government Area of the state.
THE WHISTLER reported that the senior officer was killed on Wednesday while a joint team of policemen and soldiers were repelling an attack at the Magama-Jibia border town which is a few kilometres away from the Niger Republic.
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This website observed that attacks in Katsina increased towards the end of January in local government areas like Jibia, Bakori, Funtua, Malumfashi, Faskari, and Safana.
Despite the security measures put in place by the state government, terrorists still make their way into these villages in their large numbers with motorcycles and sophisticated weapons.
Not only have they intensified their nefarious acts, but the assailants also invade homes and loot the possessions of their victims; raze houses, and kidnap some of their victims for ransom.
Also, within the period under review, various reported incidents show that the terrorists operate for long hours or sometimes for days.
On February 5, the Senator representing Katsina Central Senatorial District, Kabir Abdullahi Barkiya, urged security agencies to identify the hideouts of the terrorists and bomb them.
Below is a timeline of killings reported within the period under review:
January 07: Gunmen attacked Makurdi community council in Malumfashi LGA and killed two men and kidnapped three.
January 12: Armed men invaded a gold processing site in the Jibia LGA and killed two people. They abducted 11 others and levied operators N10,000 for uninterrupted running of the site.
January 28: Terrorists killed 12 people in Illela, Safana LGA.
February 2: Terrorists killed the village head of Daddarar in Jibia LGA and four others.
February 3: Terrorists killed 17 people in five communities in Malumfashi LGA
February 7/8: Terrorists in a two-day operation killed 13 people from Bakori and Funtua LGA. They also kidnapped a village head and several others.
February 9: Terrorists killed a Divisional Police Officer during a face-off in the Magama-Jibiya border town of the state. They were said to have also abducted the wife of a businessman.