Premium Times
At least 12 people have been reported killed after a notorious banditry kingpin, Dankarami, on Friday attacked a village harbouring another bandit, Mani Turwa, who recently repented.
During the attack that lasted four hours, Mr Dankarami’s men burnt down a section of Illela in Safana local government area.
A top officer at the Operations Department of the Katsina police command told PREMIUM TIMES that the attack was led by Mr Dankarami himself.
The officer declined to be named because he was not authorised to speak to the media for the police.
Residents said the bandits attacked in a large numbers. One of the residents, who has now taken refuge in Katsina, said “the bandits were more than 500 because each motorcycles carried three of them.”
The police command spokesperson, Gambo Isa, confirmed the attack. He said several residents were killed but the number has not been confirmed.
Mani Turwa repents
In April 2021, Mani Turwa, one of the most notorious bandits in the Safana – Danmusa – Batsari axis, surrendered his arms to the police.
Mr Turwa was said to have convinced other bandits living in the Illela forest neighbouring the dreaded Rugu forest to also surrender their arms and turn a new leaf.
Those who repented include Sale Turwa (Mani’s relative), Ado Sarki and Sani Mai Daji.
According to the then Commissioner of Police in Katsina, the bandits surrendered on their own volition.
Some of the arms and ammunition they surrendered, according to the police were: two General Purpose Machine guns, one AK 49 Assault rifle, 23 AK 47 Assault rifles, 109 GPMG ammunition, 94 7.62mm live ammunition of AK 47 rifle and 45 rustled cows.
Turwa courts Dankarami’s anger
After their decision to surrender was accepted by the police, most of the repentant bandits returned to normal life but Mr Turwa decided to be a “good Samaritan.”
A source who is an executive member of the Katsina State branch of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breaders Association told Premium Times that Mr Turwa courted the anger of the active bandits when he took to protecting the people of Illela and other villages against bandits’ attacks.
“He kept frustrating efforts by other bandits’ to attack the village and other communities around Illela and before you knew it, he had become a king of a sort. The villagers knew he was the one protecting them and they alerted him of any impending attack. Sometimes, he would fight the other bandits while most of the times, he would talk to them and persuade them not to attack,” the Miyetti Allah official, who asked not to be named due to safety concerns, said.
