At least 47 persons were killed in early morning attacks on communities in three local government areas of Katsina state.
Gambo Isah, police public relations officer in the state, confirmed the killings in a statement on Sunday.
He said the suspected bandits carried out the attacks in Dutsinma, Danmusa and Safana local government areas at around 3am on Sunday.
The command spokesman did not give further details, but said that police, army, air force and other security personnel had been deployed to restore normalcy in the affected communities.
Reacting to the incident on Sunday, President Muhammadu Buhari asked Nigerians not to despair because ”this administration is ever determined to defeat and crush these criminal elements taking advantage of the lockdown to attack their victims”.
In a statement which Garba Shehu, his spokesman, issued on his behalf, Buhari said this government will not tolerate this large scale killing of innocent people, adding that “these attacks will be met with decisive force”.
The president therefore directed security agencies not to rest on their oars or lower their guard which will create a vacuum for the bandits to strike.
While extending his sympathies to the families of the victims, he called on the people to show more vigilance by reporting the activities of “criminal elements” in their midst.
