Residents of Unguwar Mantau in Malumfashi Local Government Area of Katsina State are still in shock after gunmen stormed a mosque during dawn prayers, killing dozens and abducting scores.
Among the most harrowing accounts is that of an entire family of 15 people who were burnt alive inside their home.
According to Daily Trust, one grieving survivor, struggling to hold back tears, narrated how his relatives were wiped out in the attack.
“The entire family here, numbering about 15, was locked up and burnt alive. I am speechless.
“I don’t know where to start. I’ve been left alone. For years, we have been rendered poor by banditry. They attack us every year,” he said.
Another woman, who also lost her husband and children, described her grief as unbearable.
“My husband and children have been killed. I am alone and confused. The trauma is unbearable. What have we done to deserve this?
“Please help us in the spirit of humanity. Tell the government we are dying; we are being killed for an offence we know nothing about,” she cried.
According to findings, at least 15 houses were set ablaze, with ten people killed in the inferno, while over 100 residents, including women, children, the elderly, and pregnant women, were abducted.
Despite repeated warnings, locals say no intervention came from security agencies until after the attackers had left.
“We have been crying for help, but nothing has been done. We reported the sighting of bandits early in the morning of that day, yet until the next day, no action was taken.
“Both the state and federal governments must sit up.
“Since the attack, you (Trust TV correspondents) are the first people to visit us. Please forward our complaints to the authorities,” another resident told the aforementioned publication.
The community says it feels abandoned and forgotten, with many survivors left homeless, traumatized, and desperate for government action.
“Generally speaking, we feel like we are not human beings. We have been abandoned. We lost everything, our loved ones were killed and others were abducted.
“Kindly tell the government to rescue us from the bandits,” a man lamented.
AFRIPOST reports that the Katsina mosque attack is one of the deadliest in recent years, and it comes amid a surge of violent raids across the state.
While some local government areas in central Katsina reportedly enjoy relative calm due to uneasy peace deals with bandits, residents in the southern axis say they are paying the price of unending violence.
As the community buries its dead and awaits news of those abducted, survivors continue to call for urgent rescue operations and lasting security measures to prevent further bloodshed.