The Katsina State Government will establish a commission of inquiry into Thursday’s terrorist ambush in the Kankara Local Government Area, which resulted in 41 deaths and two injuries. The announcement was made on Friday night by Mallam Ahmad Katsina, Governor Aminu Masari’s Special Adviser on Security Matters, after a review of the incident. He said the attack “jolted everybody” and expressed the governor’s deep sadness. Governor Masari has ordered reinforced security in the area, the immediate dispatch of relief materials to the victims’ families, and the formation of the commission to uncover the full circumstances beyond the preliminary findings. “The government is already on top of the situation,” Katsina emphasized, assuring residents that security and safety remain top priorities and that the strategies being implemented should prevent any further incidents in the state.
Preliminary investigations revealed that among the 41 victims were some terrorists themselves. Katsina urged the public not to take the law into their own hands and warned that the local vigilante group, Yansakai, which was attempting to recover rustled animals, should have coordinated with security agencies given the terrorists’ ruthlessness. He added that the commission’s findings will guide far‑reaching decisions to prevent future occurrences of such tragic events.
According to reports, a gang of terrorists ambushed Yansakai members who were trying to retrieve stolen domestic animals in the area between the Bakori and Kankara Local Government Areas. The violence began on Wednesday when terrorists broke into a house in Bakori, stealing fifty cows and thirty sheep. In response, Yansakai members from eleven villages in Bakori mobilised to recover the animals. However, informants tipped off the terrorists, who then set an ambush that led to the deaths of 41 people, including some of the attackers.
A statement from SP Gambo Isah, spokesman for the Katsina State Police Command, released on Friday evening, detailed the events: “On Wednesday, 1 February 2023 at about 11 p.m., terrorists armed with AK‑47s attacked the house of Alhaji Muntari in Unguwar Audu Gare, Kandarawa, Bakori, stealing fifty cows and thirty sheep. On Thursday, 2 February 2023 at about 10 a.m., Yansakai members from eleven villages regrouped and pursued the terrorists, tracing them to Yargoje forest. The terrorists then launched a coordinated ambush, killing forty‑one Yansakai and wounding two.” Area commander Malumfashi led a police team to the scene, recovering the bodies and transporting the injured to Kankara General Hospital. A joint security operation is ongoing to apprehend the perpetrators, and the investigation continues.
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