Gunmen suspected to be bandits have shot and killed the All Progressive Congress (APC) chairman of Batsari council area of Katsina state, Alhaji Abdulhamid sani Mamman.
He was killed on Sunday afternoon, after the gunmen besieged Sabon Garin Dunburawa village, where he hailed from.
Gunmen entered his home with the intention of abducting him and some of his family members, action of which he resisted.
A source said it was while the deceased was showing resistance that the gunmen shot and killed him.
His body, it was learnt, was deposited at the General Hospital in Batsari, with sources saying he will be buried later on Sunday evening.
The state has seen recent upsurge in activities of bandits, especially in councils areas sharing border with the dreaded Rugu forest.
About 14 council areas had in recent months, witnessed activities of gunmen, most of whom are suspected to be bandits.
The bandits’ mode of operation is to kill, maim and abduct hapless residents for ransom, rape women, rustle domestic animals and cause other evil havocks, including setting food stores and villages ablaze.
Some two days ago, bandits had attacked close to a down villages in Sabuwa and Faksari council areas, where they reportedly killed over a dozen people.
In one of the villages, they raped a woman and poured battery acid on her private part, with the woman said to battling for her life in the hospital.
Following the upsurge in activities of bandits, President Muhammadu Buhari had a couple of weeks ago, ordered a coordinated security operation to flush out the bandits.
Governor Aminu Masari, who days back lemented the operation of bandits in parts of the state, said some communities were more concerrned about the issue than they were about coronavirus.
The Police Spokesman, SP Gambo Isah, who confirmed this in a statement in Katsina, said the incident happened at about 1:35 p.m on Sunday.
According to him, the victim was killed when he resisted being kidnapped by the hoodlums.
He said “Today at about 1:35 p.m., unknown gunmen attacked Sabon-Garin Dumburawa in Batsari Local Government Area of Katsina State.
“During the unfortunate incident, the bandits shot sporadically with sophisticated weapons, and killed the 55-year-old APC Chairman in Batsari local Government Area after he resisted being kidnapped.”
He also stated that the Operation Puff Adder and Sharan Daji have begun an immediate search in the forest with the aim of arresting the culprits.