Armed bandits have attacked motorists on the Jibia-Batsari highway in Katsina State, resulting in the feared death of a 15-year-old boy named Musa Yahuza.
According to reports, the attackers specifically focused on travellers, predominantly traders returning from the Jibia weekly market on Sunday evening.
Residents said the gunmen shot into the two vehicles conveying the traders, killing one of the drivers and the traders on the spot.
The wounded individuals are currently receiving medical treatment at the Federal Teaching Hospital in Katsina.
A resident who spoke on condition of anonymity said, “The traders left the market early enough after their trading on Sunday only for them to run into the gunmen between 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. along Jibia/Batsari road.”
The gunmen also reportedly burnt down the two vehicles the traders were travelling in.
Residents further disclosed that sympathisers later deposited the corpses of the victims at the Jibia General Hospital, where their relatives picked them up on Monday morning.
While official confirmation from security agencies in the state is pending, eyewitness accounts suggest that the security forces were able to repel the attack, preventing the insurgents from entering the town.
The Chairman of the Jibia Local Government Area, Sabi’u Maitan, responded promptly to the situation, ordering the immediate evacuation of the victims for medical treatment at the Federal Teaching Hospital in Katsina.
The Jibia-Batsari road has been a persistent area of concern due to its vulnerability to bandit activities over several years.
