Members of the Katsina Community Watch Corps (C-Watch) have allegedly fired stray bullets at Mabai commuters in the Kankara local government area of Katsina State, leaving over 30 people injured, as several are battling between life and death in Katsina, Kankara and Malunfashi hospitals.
The incident began when members of the C-Watch Corps attempted to forcibly shave the hair of a young man identified as Mutaka Adamu, popularly known as Bamba, during the Sallah festivities in the Mabai community on Monday, 9th, 2025.
According to an eyewitness, Aliyu Usman Mabai, “the corps members confronted Bamba and insisted on shaving his hair as part of what they claimed was part of their enforcement and tradition. However, the young man resisted, asserting that he had committed no offence.
“Elderly individuals nearby also intervened, urging the corps to leave Bamba alone, pointing out that his hairstyle did not violate Islamic principles or local cultural norms.
“After a while, the corps returned to the community and arrested Bamba at a primary school. ‘They reportedly assaulted him severely, beating him beyond imagination,’ said Mr Aliyu.
“After receiving the news of Bamba’s condition, the development sparked outrage among community members, especially the youth, who questioned why such brutal treatment was inflicted on the young man.
“As tensions rose, the crowd began chanting ‘bamayi, bamayi’, meaning ‘we don’t want you’, directed at the C-Watch Corps. In response, the corps allegedly opened fire on the crowd, injuring many—including women and children, some of whom were merely bystanders or inside their homes when the shooting occurred.
The military unit stationed in Mabai quickly intervened, securing the area and arranging the evacuation of the injured to Kankara General Hospital.
“Victims with more critical injuries were transferred to Katsina, Bakori, and Malumfashi, respectively. Mr Aliyu added.
Also, Alhaji Adamu Mamman, Bamba’s father, revealed that the incident is so unfortunate, and as a community ravaged by insecurity, such should not happen, but instead the energy should be channelled into curtailing banditry and terrorist attacks.
According to him, “The C-Watch Corps had initially tried to halt the Sallah festivity held annually in the community, but the youth resisted, so the corps told them the army ordered that the Sallah festivity should be stopped.
When asked by the commuters, the military denied ordering anyone to stop the celebration; that was when they had my son in mind, leading to his ordeal with the corps.
My concern is the hospitalised persons, especially those in critical conditions, even though we learnt the military had arrested the corps and handed them over to the police, but we urge through investigation and a peaceful dialogue for peaceful living. He added.
When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer in Katsina, DSP Abubakar Sadiq, requested that this reporter send a text message regarding the incident, promising to respond. However, several hours later, no response had been received, and he also declined to answer follow-up calls.
Similarly, Ahmed Soja Kankara, a senior official of the Community Watch Corps in Kankara Local Government, declined to comment. He stated that he was not present at the scene of the incident and had not yet received any official report on the matter.
LIKE & FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK, X, INSTAGRAM, LINKEDIN & YOUTUBE
My Allah is help is