Mr Shehu said the commissioner of police (CP), Usman Nagogo, was among government delegation led by the deputy governor, Mahadi Aliyu-Gusau, to the affected villages for burial of the deceased.

The spokesman said the CP has directed security operatives to maintain “ongoing bush combing of the affected areas and its environs for possible arrest of perpetrators of the dastardly act.”

The statement assured residents of “adequate security arrangements for all villages and communities in the state.”

It also appealed to the public to always give the police credible and timely information and report strange and suspicious characters for prompt action.