Four operatives of the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) and a resident were killed on Sunday evening when suspected bandits attacked Guga community in Bakori Local Government Area of Katsina State.
Residents said the attackers arrived in large numbers on motorcycles and opened fire as they moved into the community. Their target was reportedly the location where CJTF members and local vigilantes were stationed to protect the area.
The security volunteers engaged the attackers in a gun battle, preventing them from carrying out their reported plan to steal livestock from the community.
A resident, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the CJTF members and vigilantes resisted the attack despite being outnumbered.
“The bandits came in large numbers, shooting indiscriminately. They went straight to the CJTF position, but our vigilantes and the CJTF resisted them. Unfortunately, we lost four of the hunters and one civilian,” the resident said.
He added that the response from the local security groups stopped the attackers from taking away animals belonging to residents.
The resident described the incident as another security challenge facing communities in northern Bakori, noting that Guga has suffered repeated attacks, killings, kidnappings and livestock theft in recent years.
Guga and neighbouring communities have continued to experience attacks by armed groups, leading to loss of lives, abductions and disruption of economic activities.
As of the time of filing this report, the Katsina State Government and security agencies had not released an official statement on the incident.
The spokesperson of the Katsina State Police Command, DSP Sadiq Aliyu, said he would confirm the report and provide an update. However, no further response had been received at the time of publication.
