Terrorists Kill Monarch, Son, Eight Others In Katsina

Terrorists killed 10 people, including the traditional ruler, Haruna Abale, of Kukar Babangida, a community in Jibia Local Government Area of Katsina State in a attack on Thursday.

The attack, which also claimed the life of Abale's son, Idris Haruna, and eight other residents, started around 1:00 a.m. and continued for several hours.

A community leader in Kukar Babangida, who didn't want to be named for security reasons, said that he believed it was a planned attack on the monarch as he used to speak against the terrorists.

Besides killing, the terrorists burnt down several houses, vehicles and shops.

"His house was the first they (terrorists) went to when they entered the community. Some of the terrorists surrounded the house while the others entered," the community leader said as per Premium Times.

The community leader noted that they are still looking for dead bodies, as they killed four residents who ran out of their houses due to the intensity of the shootings.

One of the traditional leader's sons - who also kept his name private - said that his brother Haruna alongside four other friends was sleeping in the house.

Terrorists locked all five of them in their rooms before eventually killing them.

"It was terrible. The terrorists went to my father's inner room and shot him several times. They then went back to my brother, Idris's room and killed him alongside four of his friends who slept at the house," the monarch's son said.

Bishir Sabiu, the Jibia Local Government Chairman, confirmed the tragic incident said and there were intelligence reports about the terrorists' potential attack in the area. He, however, added that the terrorists might have learned about the security arrangement and chose to attack another location.

The police command in the state also confirmed the attack through its spokesperson ASP Abubakar Aliyu.

Aliyu said a total of nine people were killed, noting that the "armed bandits in their numbers, armed with dangerous weapons, such as AK-47, shooting sporadically, attacked Kukar Babangida village where they shot and killed nine persons and burnt down five vehicles," The Guardian reported.

"Operatives were swiftly deployed and normalcy was restored. Efforts are ongoing to arrest the perpetrators of the dastardly act," he added.

Kukar Babangida village has been hit by terrorists' multiple times in the past. Furthermore, entire North-west Nigeria, especially Zamfara and Katsina States have witnessed a surge in terrorist attacks in the last couple of months.