At least 20 Muslim faithful celebrating Maulud in Kusa, a community in Musawa Local Government Area of Katsina State have been killed by yet-to-be-identified gunmen.
NIGERIACRIME gathered that the incident, which plunged the village into chaos and sorrow, happened late Sunday around 11:05 p.m.
The assailants, according to a source, came in their numbers and targeted the unsuspecting residents of the village.
A vigilante member who confirmed the brutal assault said, “The bandits surrounded the venue of the Maulud celebration and fired gunshot at the participant, injuring many and took several captives to an unknown location. Before the security forces could respond to the distress call, the assailants had disappeared into their hideouts. After the attack, we found 20 corpses inside the village.”
Confirming the report, the Police Publuc Relations Officer in Katsina, ASP Abubakar Sadiq Aliyu, said, “Yes, there was an attack in Musawa LGA arou p.m. 11pm while people were having Maulud procession. Bandits attacked shot and injured 18 people. They were evacuated to the hospital for treatment. Laofn, two among them died. Further investigation is ongoing for possible arrest and to bring the perpetrators of these acts to justice.”
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Meanwhile, the Osun State Police Command has confirmed the arrest of four workers for theft of items at a construction site in Ilesa.
The suspects were apprehended for stealing iron rods from the ongoing prison project site in Ilesa, Osun State.
Yemisi Opalola, the spokesperson of the police command, stated that “the case of theft of construction items at a construction site in Ilesa has been reported to the police command. As I am talking to you, the suspects are in police custody.”
A security source, who requested anonymity, revealed that the suspects had successfully removed the iron rods from the site.
However, the vehicle used to transport the stolen items was intercepted by members of the Nigeria Hunters and Forest Security Service (NHFSS) on patrol along Owode, Ede.
“The suspects arrested by the hunters included the vehicle’s driver, the construction engineer, and two artisans working on the project site,” he said.
One of the suspects, identified as Kehinde, admitted to committing the crime, citing difficult economic circumstances as their motivation for stealing the items.
The Osun NHFSS Commander, Ahmed Nureni, who confirmed the incident, noted that the suspects were arrested Thursday night at Owode, Ede, along the Gbongan/Osogbo road.
He added that the suspects were working on an ongoing government-sponsored project in Ilesa, which they claimed was a prison construction.
They had ordered the stolen items just a few weeks before their arrest.