Residents flee as bandits attack Katsina town in broad daylight

Residents of Sabon Gida, Makudawa Quarters, Shola Quarters and Federal Teaching Hospital (FTH), Katsina Staff Quarters in Katsina metropolis on Tuesday took to their heels as bandits approached those in broad daylight.

A resident who also fled said, the bandits were seen at about 1.30pm pursuing some herders entered Sabon Gida quarters in Katsina.

He said, the bandits were after herders grazing around Lambun Malam Mua’zu, and herders started running with their cattle towards (Sabon Gida), while resident’s sighted bandits approaching, hence, there was commotion that led to everyone scampering for safety.

Another resident of the Federal Teaching Hospital (FTH) explained to journalists that many of the residents have relocated their families out for fear of bandit attacks.

He said: “If the terrorists can come in broad daylight, only God knows what will happen at night.”

Asked to speak on on the development, particularly, on the purported directive that residents of FTH should vacate, the Public Relations Officer of the hospital, Bishir Muhammad, said there was no such directive from the chief medical director (CMD) or any other authority of the hospital, but acknowledged that there was tension in the area.

“People are actually afraid; these bandits were truly seen by people; then they began to panic and when people are panicking and they decide to leave, you cannot tell them not to go. But actually, no one asked anybody to vacate,” he said.

The deputy unit commander of Wakilin Yamma 1, a vigilante group in charge of the area, Abdullahi Usman Dan Daura, said though the threat was real, the way people entertained fear in the area had compounded the situation.

He noted that the vigilante group was working in synergy with all the security agencies to handle the situation.

According to him, there is a major challenge with those who are informants to the bandits.