On Sunday, between 5 and 6 p.m., terrorists attacked vehicles returning from the Jibia weekly market in Katsina State, killing at least nine local shopkeepers.
Several more traders were injured by the marauding terrorists, who burned down two Peugeot J5 buses.
While security officials deposited eight bodies transported from the scene of the tragedy on Sunday night, a passenger has been declared missing, and people are unsure whether he was abducted or slain because his body has not been found.
Jibia to Batsari, Batsari to Katsina, Jibia to Katsina, and Kankara to Sheme, are some of the roads most vulnerable to attacks in Katsina State which has witnessed terror activities for several years.
“As usual, they left Jibia market before 6 p.m. because they wanted to reach home before Magrib (sunset) prayer. You know Jibia to Batsari road is always busy on Sunday so, the terrorists must have planned to abduct the traders but the drivers refused to stop,” Muhammad Lawal, a resident of Batsari, said.
The terrorists, according to our source, opened fire on the vehicles when the drivers refused to stop, killing eight traders instantly while one other died later.
“Several of the traders ran into the bush and walked home afterwards while the terrorists burnt down the two vehicles,” Mr Lawal said.
From Jibia to Batsari, cutting through the dreaded Dumburun forest, is a 42 kilometres journey.
A medical worker at the General Hospital in Batsari told Platinum Times that security agents deposited eight corpses in the hospital late Sunday evening.
“This morning, relatives of the deceased came to pick up the dead bodies,” he said.
The police spokesperson in the state, Abubakar Aliyu, did not respond to SMS and WhatsApp messages sent to him asking for his comments on the attack.
Attacks on motorists in Katsina and other north-western states are commonplace. In December, six traders returning from the same Jibia weekly market to Yan Gayya were killed by terrorists.
In a report by Platinum Times last year, several drivers and road transport officials lamented the frequency of attacks on highways in the state.