RECENT BANDITS' ATTACK ON MY HOMETOWN NOT PERSONAL- GEN KUKASHEKA. (PHOTO).

 Recent bandits’ attack on my hometown not personal – Gen Kukasheka

A former army spokesman, Brigadier-General Sani Kukasheka, has said he did not view the recent bandits’ attack on his hometown during which he lost a brother as personal.

He said it was not the first time such an attack would happen in the area, adding that he had lost other relatives to such attacks in the past.

On Sunday night, bandits attacked Kukasheka, the hometown of the former army spokesperson, during which they shot four persons dead and injured five others.

Two amongst the injured later died while receiving treatment at the hospital, raising the number of fatalities to six, including the younger brother of the retired general.

The wife of the chief imam of the village was kidnapped during the attack.

Speaking with Weekend Trust yesterday, the former army spokesman said the attackers came around 10pm on Sunday and opened fire on residents.

He said almost all the casualties were family men with many dependants.

“You can see the humanitarian crisis this attack has caused. My brother had a wife and two children and one young boy was sent on an errand by his mother. Other victims were breadwinners of their families. One of them was catering for over 30 people.

“This is not the first attack that affected my immediate family. My wife’s elder brother was killed next to my house. My sister was once abducted in a neighbouring village and my mother-in-law was kidnapped; she spent 17 days in captivity close to Eid el Kabir.

“It is not a personal thing. Although I don’t know their motives, I see it as a general problem. Anyone living around this area is vulnerable, especially in Kankara. All we need to do is intensify intelligence and information gathering about them,” he said.