By Ibrahim Danladi
The Katsina State Police Command has described as inaccurate reports circulating on social media that suspected armed bandits raided Tuge village in Kankara Local Government Area, shooting and injuring several residents.
In a statement on Saturday, the command’s Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Abubakar Sadiq Aliyu, said preliminary investigations revealed that the incident did not involve a bandits’ raid, but a clash between members of the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) and suspected repentant bandits.
According to the police, at about 9:35 a.m. on Saturday, January 17, 2026, suspected CJTF members from Tugen Na-Alma village in Malumfashi Local Government Area went to Tuge Mai Zuri village in Musawa Local Government Area to purchase essential items.
While there, they reportedly encountered suspected repentant armed bandits who are natives of the community.
“The encounter led to a heated argument which escalated into a gun duel between the two parties,” the statement said, adding that four bystanders were injured by stray bullets as the parties fled the scene before the arrival of security operatives.
The police said operatives from Malumfashi and Musawa Divisions were promptly deployed to the area upon receiving the report, restoring normalcy.
The statement said the injured victims were rushed to the nearest hospital for treatment, where one of them was confirmed dead by a medical doctor, while the remaining three are responding to treatment.
It quoted the state’s Commissioner of Police, Bello Shehu, expressing condolences to the families of the victims and condemned the incident.
The statement added that investigations are ongoing and assured that further developments would be communicated in due course.
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