Information from some residents of the Katsina villages around which the presidential advance team was ambushed on Tuesday indicated that security agents in the convoy did not exchange fire with the terrorists; hence the assailants escaped unhurt.

An eyewitness said that the attackers had invaded one village called Buturkai where they dispersed the residents, forcing them to relocate to Turare village where the attack occurred, and some of them to Shandai, a grazing reserve area.

He said that it happened before the arrival of the advance team.

“At Buturkai, the bandits killed three persons and went to Dogon Ruwa village where they killed two people, broke into so many shops and carted away valuables before proceeding to Marke village where they rustled some animals,” he said.

He said when the advance team arrived Turare and discovered what was going on, they parked their vehicles at the LEA Primary School in the village for some time, made some enquiries and when it was clear that the bandits had covered some distance, they continued with their journey, while shooting sporadically into the air until they passed the danger zone.

A resident of Marke, where the bandits were at the time the team arrived, also said:

“It was after the bandits had left our village that the long convoy of the security personnel (advance team) passed, shooting into the air.

“From our understanding, it was the same group of bandits that killed the area commander around Zakka area that passed through Kwanar Dutse to Kunamawar Mai Awaki where they killed two people, then Kunamwa Babba, they killed two people also, one of whom was the husband of my sister-in-law.”

He added that the same bandits proceeded to UnguwarGurbai where they killed six people and then Doguwar Dankwambo where they killed two people and Unguwar Ido village where they also killed six people.