Police in Kastina state have confirmed the murder of a traditional ruler by six unknown gunmen.
Six unknown gunmen forcefully entered the the room of Kurfi Local Government village head, Abdulkadir muhammad Birch, 80 and killed him.
The man was killed on Monday around 1am when gunmen suspected to be hired killers invaded his residence and shot him dead.
An eyewitness said that the armed men scaled the fence of the victim’s residence and "forcefully entered his room after firing some shots at the door.” They reportedly shot the village head trice and macheted him afterwards before fleeing the community.
The armed men who identified themselves as thieves refused to take the N300,000 the traditional ruler offered to to spare his life. They took nothing from the house, giving suspicion that they must have been hired killers.
According to the elder son of the murdered traditional ruler, Alhaji Ibrahim Charanchi, the family believes the gunmen were hired killers.
Ibrahim said if the gunmen were thieves, they would have accepted the money that was offered them. He asked God to visit those behind his father's death.
The Katsina State police command, DSP Abubakar Sadik confirmed the incident and said his men have made some arrests in connection with the murder. Investigation into the matter is ongoing.