Kauraye miscreants put Katsina metropolis on edge

Mustapha, 20, was attacked by a gang of Yandaba, otherwise known in Katsina as Kauraye, on Sunday, January 22, 2012 on his way back home after he had bought a recharge card. He sustained deep cuts on his head and on his left hand.   Narrating his ordeal to Sunday Trust, Usman explained, “I was […]

Mustapha, 20, was attacked by a gang of Yandaba, otherwise known in Katsina as Kauraye, on Sunday, January 22, 2012 on his way back home after he had bought a recharge card. He sustained deep cuts on his head and on his left hand.

 

Narrating his ordeal to Sunday Trust, Usman explained, “I was coming back from a stand where I had bought a recharge card when I stopped over at a tea joint to take a cup of tea before I proceed home. While I was about  being served the tea, some young men brandishing dangerous weapons that included cutlasses, sticks, sword and iron rods surrounded us and start beating us indiscriminately”.

“I was injured on my head and on my left hand. Not only myself. Several others were attacked and they sustained various degrees of injuries during the unfortunate incident. After we ran for our dear lives, the attackers carted all the valuables we had left at the scene,” he said.

Another victim of the attack, Muhammad Sani, 28, who also sustained deep cuts on his back and head, said shortly after the incident, he was rushed to Katsina General Hospital where he was treated and discharged.

Sani told Sunday Trust that the attackers suddenly appeared “while we were drinking tea at Sabuwar Unguwa quarters in the metropolis.”

He said some of the attackers who were armed with saws, cutlasses and knives, started beating them without raising any issues, or making any demands from us.”

“We were lucky that the attackers did not kill any of their victims. People were scared and therefore ran helter-skelter for their lives. They took all our valuables, including GSM phones before they disappeared,” he recalled.

He said the most unfortunate thing was that the attackers did not spare old men during their invasion, saying they chased away some aged men who were sitting close to the tea seller. They stormed the tea joint at about 8:30pm when the place was filled with customers.

Sulaiman Surajo, 23, was also a victim of the January 22, attack by Kauraye at Sabuwar Unguwa quarters. He told Sunday Trust that he sustained a deep cut on his head. He said more than 10 people were injured during the incident.

Surajo added that, “some of the victims were stabbed while others sustained deep cuts. They did not kill anybody during the unfortunate attack, but they scared away many residents of the area”.

Findings by Sunday Trust indicated that the following day, Monday, January 23, another attack was launched by the Kauraye at Kofar-Kaura. This time also, several people were injured. They were also said to have carted various items left behind by their victims, who away for their dear lives.

Also at Alhazawa, a local relaxation spot where residents converge to buy and drink Fura da Nono, the Yandaba group attacked and injured many people. One of the victims told Sunday Trust that they stole many GSM phones and a laptop computer from their victims before they fled the area unmolested.

The activities of Kauraye, Sunday Trust reports, were absent from Katsina metropolis for several years until recently when their attacks resurfaced in a very brazen and violent manner. Many people are being attacked and valuables worth thousands of naira are being carted away from helpless residents who are usually taken unawares by the miscreants.

Disturbed by the activities of the Kauraye, some of the affected communities have resolved to help police address the situation. Sunday Trust gathered that residents of Sabuwar Unguwar have started fishing out those they suspect to be members of the Kauraye group. They would not take the laws into their hands, however. They do handover such suspects to the police for appropriate action.

Many residents of the affected areas have called on government to, as a matter of urgency, adopt appropriate modalities to arrest the trend for peace to be regained in the state. They also pledge support for security agencies who are genuinely involved in activities that will ensure an end to the era of Kauraye attacks.

It was learnt that since the Kauraye resurfaced, incidents of theft in houses and attacks on shops have increased. The Kaurayes have been accused of breaking into shops and carting goods. Some residents who spoke to Sunday Trust expressed concern over the increasing rate of Kauraye attacks and frequent house-to-house theft, as well as shop breaking.

Alhaji Aliyu Ibrahim said “unless the police and other security agencies roll up the sleeves and squarely face the problems holistically, the situation will get out of control as the criminals will not give up unless they face the wrath of the law.”

Ibrahim suggested that the police should intensify security patrols within the metropolis so that Kuarayes could be fished out and prosecuted. He said the miscreants are living among the people in Katsina State and if police can intensify intelligence and spread its network, they would put pressure on Kauraye, arrest and punish them, according to the law.

He however, advised the community to collaborate with the police by supplying them with useful information that will help, get the Kauraye, saying “unless, we help ourselves and provide the police with the information that would lead to the arrest of these criminals, we will continue to face the challenges of Kauraye in our community”.

Another resident, Muhamad Musa Kofar-Kaura, told Sunday Trust that, “I believe that the frequent thefts in this area is being carried out by these Kauraye. And I am sure if they can be arrested and prosecuted, we would have peace in this area”.

Kofar-Kaura therefore appealed to the traditional leaders and the police to put their heads together and get rid of the Kauraye with a view to restore peace in the state.

However, Sunday Trust observed that from the look of things, police in the state have answered the calls of the general public in that respect. Police recently raided hideouts of the Kauraye, arresting 18 of them.

They were arraigned before a senior magistrate court last Wednesday on a four-count charge of criminal conspiracy, unlawful assembly, causing grievous hurt and possession of dangerous weapons. The offences are contrary to sections 229, 230, 97, 102 and 248 of the penal code.

However, 14 out of the 18 arrested Kauraye were released by the court on bail, based on the legal advice offered by the state’s Legal Aid Council.

One out of the four remaining suspects is to be prosecuted for unlawful assembly under Section 123 of the Shari’ah law of Katsina State. The remaining three arrested persons, Sunday Trust gathered were referred to the National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) for prosecution as their offences are related to drugs.