Gunmen have shot dead four passengers of Katsina State-owned bus on Jibia-Katsina Highway.
Also, unspecified number of travellers on board of the bus were reportedly kidnapped by the armed men.
The driver of the bus was said to be among those killed.
The bus belonging to the Katsina State Transport Authority was said to have been attacked around 11:34am near Mil Takwas and Farun Bala villages, few five kilometres from the Natsinta Army Barrack.
The attack occurred on Sunday around Mil Takwas and Farun Bala villages, some five kilometres from the Natsinta Army Barrack around 11:34 a.m.
The bus marked KT 14D-58 KT was reportedly heading to a community adjacent Maradi in the Niger Republic before the attack.
A man, Nasir Muhammad, whose wife was one of the passengers on the bus, said the bus was one of the four vehicles attacked by the gunmen.
Explaining how it happened, he said: “My wife called me around 11:47 a.m. crying that they have been attacked. I was in Katsina while she was coming from Jibia to meet me. She told me that their driver was already killed and there were other vehicles on the front who have been attacked.
“When I reached the Natsinta Barrack, they were soldiers who asked us not to proceed because bandits were attacking motorists, but I told them my wife was in the vehicle being attacked. I was among the first set of people to go there because even the local government chairman met me there.”
He said aside from the driver, two other people were killed while the fourth one died at the Umaru Musa Yar’adu’a University Teaching Hospital (formerly Federal Medical Center).
“I took my wife to the hospital alongside some people while the Chairman and other government officials took the remaining to the hospital. While I was living in the hospital with my wife around 4.00p.m., one of the wounded passengers died.”
Meanwhile, the Chairman of Jibia Local Government, Bashir Maitan, who confirmed the attack, however, said only one person was killed.
According to him: “Yes, there was an attack on motorists today. We were informed about the movement of some bandits in the morning and while I was mobilizing vigilante members and security agents, we heard that the bandits had launched an attack.
“The bandits’ movement was tracked from Gangara village to Kahel and linked up with the main road. The bandits opened fire on the vehicle when it was obvious that the driver was trying to reverse upon sighting them.”
Also, the Managing Director of the Katsina State Transport Authority, Haruna Rugoji, said the gunmen collected the phones and other things belonging to some of the passengers and left the scene.
He said: “The conductor of the vehicle, who narrated to us what actually happened said none of the passengers was kidnapped by the bandits. Since then, we have not heard any report that one of the passengers in the vehicle is missing.”
