-Also Gunmen kill pregnant woman, with her four children in Anambra
By our reporter| At least 15 farmers were reportedly killed when bandits stormed Gakurdi village in Jibia Local Government Area of Katsina State on Tuesday.
The development comes hours after over 40 farmers were slaughtered by Boko Haram fighters in Borno State.
According to a resident who spoke to a national publication, the victims of the Katsina attack were killed while preparing their farms ahead of the rainy season.
The bandits, he said, rode on four motorcycles, and initially headed for Gakurdi village, but started shooting when they sighted the farmers.
“They came around 8:30 am today (Tuesday), using four motorcycles, and started killing the people. Three were killed on the same farm and eventually, it was discovered that up to 15 were killed on different farms,” he said.
He added that by the time the villagers discovered what was happening, the attackers had fled the area.
When contacted for confirmation, the police spokesman in Katsina, SP Gambo Isah, said, “Right now, we are there with the CP to access the situation.”
Meanwhile, Boko Haram fighters killed 40 civilians in Kala Balge Local Government Area of Borno State.
According to local residents, a large number of the insurgents surrounded the harmless civilians and began to slaughter them on Sunday.
The federal lawmaker representing the area, Hon. Zainab Gimba, confirmed the incident to the BBC Hausa in an interview that was monitored by our correspondent.
Zagazola Makama, a Counter Insurgency Expert and Security Analyst in Lake Chad, claimed that dozens of the fighters attacked the peasant farmers with machetes.
The search for bodies continued after the gunmen who were on motorbikes attacked people while on their farms in Rann, headquarters of the Kala-Balge Local Government Area in the northeastern part of Borno State.
“Over 40 farmers were killed and some of the bodies were dismembered while some were tied up and their throats slit by the terrorists.
“The victims were buried on Monday with residents saying many others are yet to be accounted for,” Zagazola said.
-Gunmen kill pregnant woman, with her four children in Anambra
Meanwhile, Gunmen have killed at least 12 people, including a pregnant woman and her four children in Anambra State, the BBC reported on Tuesday.
The State Governor, Charles Soludo, and the police have reacted to the killings but did not specify the number of persons killed.
A community leader told the BBC that the pregnant woman and her children were returning home on a motorcycle taxi when gunmen ambushed them in the Orumba area of the state.
The killings come about 24 hours after gunmen beheaded a lawmaker in the state, Okechukwu Okoye.
But the latest killing appears to have taken an ethnic colouration.
In a statement on Tuesday, Governor Soludo said “there is no targeted ethnic or religious killings in Anambra State.
“As a matter of fact, Anambra indigenes have suffered more casualties as a result of the unfortunate killings.”
As part of efforts to quell the outrage over the killings, the State Commissioner of Police, Echeng Echeng has visited the Hausa communities in Amansea to assure them of adequate security and protection.
According to police spokesperson, Tochukwu Ikenga, investigations to unravel the cause of the killings in the State have since commenced.
Much of the violence in Anambra State, as well as the entire south-east region has been blamed on the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), which is seeking secession of the region from Nigeria.
With agency report
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