Sixteen young men from Danbatta Local Government Area (LGA) of Kano State were on Thursday killed by unidentified gunmen along Abuja-Kaduna expressway. They were on their way to Lagos State.
Sources said that of the 16 people killed, one was from Dambatta town while the other 15 were from three villages – Maiganji, Tsaraka and Sansan.
Malam Suleiman Yusuf Maitama, founder of Dambatta Reporters, a local news platform in the town, said that the victims were mostly below the age of 40.
According to Malam Maitama, “the incident happened on Monday. They are friends and normally come here to visit family and go back to Lagos for their businesses. We got the news on Tuesday and they were buried here.”
He added that the victims were not abducted by the gunmen but were killed when the gunmen opened fire on their vehicle.
On whether the families of the victims were contacted by the Police, Maitama said: “Honestly, I can’t say. But even DSS (Department of State Security), Dambatta station contacted me and I connected them to their family but I don’t know what they have discussed. Kano State Governor, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, expressed shock over the incident.
“The news is devastating and frustrating. We commiserate with the families of the deceased, the people of Dambatta Local Government, and the people of Kano State,” the governor was quoted as saying in a condolence message by his Chief Press Secretary, Abba Anwar.
The Governor prayed that Almighty Allah forgive the deceased and give their families the fortitude to bear the loss.
Copyright Daily Trust
