By Desire Emmanuel
Some women as well as children were among those killed and other residents sustained varying degrees of injuries when two bandit leaders engaged in rivalry gun battle in Katsina State.
The battle followed the killing of a relation of one of the bandit leaders by those said to be followers of the other leaders.
The incident occurred on Boxing Day at Shingi Tsohuwa at Ruma Ward in Batsari Local Government Area of the state.
A competent source close to the community told Impact Nigeria News Online on Monday morning that the two bandit leaders were known simply as Namurjiya and Lamo and Shingi Tsohuwa the scene of the incident is a village bordering Katsina and Zamfara states.
According to the source, two weeks ago, Namurjiya killed one Abdulrahman, Lamo’s younger brother, during a confrontation and he was also accused of repeatedly rustling cattle belonging to Fulani communities in the ward.
This killing did not go down well with Lamo who had been looking for the opportunity to avenge the death of his brother. The opportunity eventually came on Boxing Day when his followers sighted Namurjiya and his loyalists, leading to a gun battle.
It was gathered that the battle began after Isha (night) prayers and lasted for hours with heavy gunfire that spread fears across nearby villages.
Those who were killed during the battle, apart from some of the bandits, were villagers, among them women and children, the source disclosed.
Lamo’s followers were said to have gained upper hands during the encounter as they reportedly seized weapons and motorcycles of the rival group, while Namurjiya and his men fled with gunshot injuries after they were overpowered.
The source added that while the battle that lasted for some hours were ongoing, some residents made distress calls to security agencies but alleged that none of them showed up until after the deadly clash ended.
The Northern part of the country, especially the North-West, has been under the grips of banditry for some years, as the marauders used to invade communities, kill residents, abduct others and cart away valuables.
They also impose levies on communities and in some instances, sign ‘peace deals’ with community leaders for peace to reign in those communities.
