Courage met chaos in Katsina State as determined residents of Gurbi community in Kankara Local Government Area stood their ground and blocked a bandit invasion—forcing the attackers into retreat.
Eyewitness accounts revealed that the heavily armed assailants stormed the area in the evening but were unable to penetrate the village as locals rallied in a rare show of unity to defend their homes.
However, the retreat turned deadly.
Frustrated by the resistance, the attackers reportedly opened fire on fleeing residents outside the community, killing more than 10 people in nearby Nagodi village.
“As I speak, there are over 10 corpses… they were brought back to Gurbi after the attackers left,” a distraught resident disclosed.
Locals say they had earlier raised alarm after receiving intelligence of the impending attack, but security operatives allegedly failed to respond until after the bloodshed.
“We alerted security agencies before the attack, but they only came after our people were killed,” another source lamented.
A second source close to the community leadership confirmed that while Gurbi itself was successfully defended, those who fled in panic were caught in the attackers’ line of fire.
The latest incident underscores the growing insecurity in Kankara, which has witnessed a fresh wave of bandit attacks in recent days. Just three days earlier, gunmen struck Zangon Kankara, burning homes and abducting residents.
As of the time of filing this report, authorities are yet to issue an official statement, leaving grieving families and anxious communities demanding answers—and protection.
Developing Story by Daily Trust
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