Five travellers were confirmed dead while three were injured as fleeing terrorists shot at a passenger car along Yantumaki/ Danmusa road early Saturday morning.
The spokesman for the Katsina State Police Command, SP Gambo Isah, confirmed the development on Sunday.
He said “The accident actually happened. You know our operatives were involved in some operations in some locations including the Local Government Area on Friday and early Saturday where some of the terrorists were killed and their camps burnt down.
“Our operatives also recovered some domestic animals from the terrorists. The terrorists who were fleeing back to the forests wanted to cross the road when the vehicle involved in the accident ran into them.
“And out of anger and frustration, they opened fire on the vehicle, leading to the accident. Our operatives are still on the trails of the fleeing terrorists.”
Other independent sources revealed that the vehicle (a Golf car) left Yantuamki early Saturday morning for Danmusa.
The sources further disclosed that the passengers in the vehicle were from Gobirawa and Kaiga Malami and their intention was to board motorcycles that will take them to their various villages from Danmusa.
They (the passengers) were said to have arrived at Yantumaki from various parts of the country late Friday night and choose to pass the night there (Yantumaki) to avoid risks associated with night trips.
It was further learnt that the vehicle ran into the terrorists few minutes after departing Yantumaki.
According to the sources, the terrorists opened fire on the vehicle when the driver refused to stop.
The vehicle was said to have somersaulted several times before hitting a tree, leading to the death of the five victims on the spot.
The police who were alerted of the accident visited the scene and evacuated the corpses of the victims and the three injured passengers.
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