POLICEMAN, EIGHT OTHERS FEARED KILLED IN FRESH KATSINA ATTACK

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At least nine people, including a police officer, have reportedly died after security operatives repelled an attack by suspected bandits in the Safana Local Government Area of Katsina State.

The incident that occurred in the early hours of Wednesday happened when bandits in large numbers attacked the Zakka community.

It was gathered that residents of the area had called on security operatives for help when the bandits attacked.

A security source in the area who spoke on condition of anonymity said several security operatives, consisting of police, military, and vigilantes, were mobilised to the area when the incident occurred.

He said the bandits were successfully repelled, and eight of them were killed while several of them sustained injuries in the process.

However, he added that a Mobile Police personnel lost his life during the incident, saying that the victim’s demise was due to a lack of familiarity with the terrain.

“Several of the bandits were located in an area in the community, and the Mopol ran into them as there was a newcomer not familiar with the terrain.

“Sadly, they shot him in the left eye. We later picked him up and wheeled him away from the area.

“Eight of the bandits were killed. Some people even said several of them were injured during the attack.

“But we were lucky, there was only one casualty from the security side.

“Some of the security operatives are still stationed in the community even as I’m speaking to you right now, and they are there incase of any eventuality,” he said.

Safana is among the frontline local government areas facing security challenges due to the activities of bandits, kidnappers, and rustlers, where hundreds of lives have been lost in the area and other security-prone local government areas since it began more than a decade ago.

When contacted, the Katsina State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Abubakar Sadiq, declined comment at the time of filing this report.