No fewer than twenty-two villagers have been reportedly killed by gunmen at Majifa village in Kankara Local Government Area of Katsina State.

According to eyewitnesses, the attack took place after the bandits attended a reception for one of their celebrated friends, Mai Katifar Mutuwa.

A source said the bandits came into the village shooting sporadically, a situation that forced the villagers to be running helter skelter.

He said twenty-two people were killed instantly as a result of the attack, while many women and children were abducted by the bandits.

He also confirmed that several other residents were badly wounded and are currently hospitalized.

When contacted on phone, the State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) SP Gambo Isah confirmed the incident, saying that the bandits had been facing serious resistance from the members of the vigilante in the area.

However, the State police spokesman said that fifteen people were killed, while five others have been hospitalised.

He said that the police were still compiling casualty figures as of the time of reporting the incident.

Isah also said that some members of the bandits were equally killed, but that the police could not give the figure as the bandits evacuated the corpses.