Survivors of Tuesday’s deadly attack on Gidan Mantau community in Malumfashi Local Government Area of Katsina State have narrated their ordeal, saying they have so far recovered more than 50 bodies while the search for missing persons continues in nearby bushes.
“We counted bodies all night,” one of the survivors told Daily Trust, describing the horror that followed the assault. “Many families are still searching in the bushes because their loved ones are missing.”
The survivors, who spoke in grief, called on both the federal and Katsina State governments to urgently intervene to save them from further assaults, warning that the community remains highly vulnerable.
For nearly three days, only sketchy reports had emerged from Gidan Mantau due to the community’s difficult terrain and heavy presence of bandits, which made it inaccessible for government officials and rescue workers.
Residents said government officials eventually visited the area but only stopped by the roadside to address distraught locals and community leaders, without proceeding into the heart of the ravaged settlement.
Eyewitnesses noted that many families who could not find their loved ones among the recovered corpses have since resorted to combing the bushes with the help of acquaintances, desperately hoping to recover missing relatives.
The attack, one of the deadliest in recent weeks, has deepened fears across Katsina communities already plagued by banditry. Locals lamented that despite repeated appeals, security presence in rural areas remains thin, leaving them at the mercy of marauding gangs.
