Gunmen on Tuesday killed 12 persons at Gakurdi village in Jibia Local Government Area of Katsina State, Champion Newspapers gathered.
The no fewer than eight suspected terrorists were said to have stormed the village around 6am on about four motorcycles and began shooting sporadically at anyone in sight as the villagers ran into nearby bush for safety.
Eyewitnesses told Champion Newspapers that the gunmen chased the fleeing residents into the bush and shot some of them at a close range.
Sources disclosed that the bloody attack was sequel to alleged procurement of locally made guns by Jibia Local Government Council for some of the villagers to defend the community against bandits raiding parts of the area sporadically.
According to a source, the suspected terrorists felt threatened by the purported arms in possession of people and launched the surprise attack.
Checks revealed that in recent past, many suspected gunmen used the dispensary in the village as their base for more than two months without attacking any of its residents in return for not giving their location away to security agents or relevant authorities.
The spokesman of the state police command, Isah Gambo, Superintendent of Police, who confirm this report, said the police will investigate the alleged procurement of arms for villagers and the incident.
Gambo further stated that a suspected informant of the terrorists was helping the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) over the matter, adding that the Commissioner of Police in Katsina, CP Idris Dabban, has
paid an on the spot visit to the community.
