Bandits kill one, abduct 31 in latest attack on Katsina communities

Armed bandits have killed one resident, injured at least seven and abducted 32 others during an attack on the Shuwaki community in the Bakori Local Government Area of Katsina State on Saturday.

The attackers later released an indisposed woman who could not continue the forced journey, leaving 31 people in captivity, most of them women, according to a former chairman of the local government area.

The raid was the latest in neighbouring communities in Bakori, some of which have forced residents to flee their homes and raised concerns about farming and other economic activities in the area.

Mahadi Guga, a resident of Guga who has been documenting attacks in the area, told PREMIUM TIMES that Unguwar Dogo and Alhazawa were attacked the previous night to the attack on Shuwaki.

Mr Guga said several other communities in Bakori had been attacked since late July, resulting in deaths, abductions and livestock theft.

‘Attack lasted nearly two hours’

Aminu Magaji, a former chairman of Bakori Local Government Area, provided details of the Shuwaki attack in an interview broadcast by JBC Hausa.

Mr Magaji said the attackers entered Shuwaki, in Jargaba Ward, between 9 p.m. and 9.45 p.m. and operated for between one and a half and two hours.

“They killed one person and injured at least seven others whom they shot,” he said in Hausa.

“They also took cattle and sheep and abducted 32 people.”

Mr Magaji said the attackers later released one of the abducted women near Doma village because she was ill and unable to continue walking.

He said information received from Doma indicated that the attackers proceeded towards the forest with the remaining captives.

Mr Magaji said women were the majority of the 31 people still being held, some of them carrying infants.

He did not clarify whether the infants were included in the figure.

No communication or ransom demand had been received from the attackers at the time of the interview, Mr Magaji said.

He added that the assailants took mobile phones from residents and phone-charging centres during the raid.

Mr Magaji said some people who later called the stolen phones had their calls answered by individuals claiming that the devices were in the attackers’ possession.

Security response

Mr Magaji said he contacted the divisional police officer in Bakori and members of the Katsina Community Watch Corps while the attack was underway.

He said local security personnel assembled around the eastern part of Jargaba, while the divisional police officer contacted soldiers who approached through Kangaranya in an attempt to block the attackers’ escape routes.

According to him, security personnel deployed in at least five vehicles but were unable to intercept the attackers or rescue the captives.

“The security personnel went there and made every effort, but they could not overpower them and stop them from taking the people away,” he said.

It remained unclear whether security personnel exchanged gunfire with the attackers or how the assailants escaped with the captives despite the reported attempt to block their routes.

Attacks on successive nights

Mr Guga said the Shuwaki raid followed attacks on Unguwar Dogo and Alhazawa, also known as Gidan Nagari, on Friday, 31 July.

He said one person was seriously injured during the attacks, while cattle and other property were taken.

Mr Magaji said residents fled Unguwar Dogo after the attack, with some moving to Bakori and Funtua towns and others seeking safety in neighbouring villages.

Some residents of Shuwaki had also begun packing their belongings and leaving following the mass abduction, he said.

“Everyone in Shuwaki is frightened,” Mr Magaji said.

“Some people have started packing their belongings and leaving the area as I speak.”

Mr Guga said suspected bandits had attacked Unguwar Dangida in Kandarawa Ward and Gangaren Makurdi in Jargaba Ward on 24 July.

One person was reportedly killed in Unguwar Dangida, while livestock was taken from both communities.

He said attackers raided Rawul in Kurami/Yankwani Ward the following night, 25 July, killing two brothers and abducting nine residents, including eight women.

The daughter of one of the deceased was among those abducted, according to Mr Guga.

PREMIUM TIMES could not independently confirm the casualty and abduction figures from all the incidents reported by Mr Guga.

Guga confrontation

The latest attacks occurred days after a major confrontation between suspected bandits and security personnel in Guga on 26 July.

The Katsina State Government said more than 200 attackers invaded the community at about 5.40 p.m. in what it described as a reprisal attack.

It said joint security personnel killed more than 40 suspected bandits, including some commanders, while five hunters died during the confrontation.

The government subsequently said normalcy had been restored in the affected communities.

However, an unidentified Guga resident interviewed by JBC Hausa said five hunters and one Community Watch Corps member were killed, bringing the number of defenders reportedly killed to six.

The resident said the hunters and Community Watch Corps personnel confronted the attackers on the outskirts and prevented them from entering the main part of Guga.

The difference between the government’s figure and the residents’ account had not been resolved at the time of filing this report.

The subsequent attacks on Unguwar Dogo, Alhazawa and Shuwaki have raised further concerns about security across the communities surrounding Guga.

Farming and livelihoods threatened

Mr Magaji said repeated livestock theft and fear of attacks were affecting farming during the rainy season.

He said many residents had already lost the cattle traditionally used to cultivate their farms and had resorted to working manually.

The attackers took some of the few animals remaining in Shuwaki during the 1 August raid, he added.

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“People were already in difficulty because there were no cattle left for cultivation,” Mr Magaji said.

“People were farming with their hands, and now the few remaining cattle have been taken.”

An unidentified Guga resident interviewed by JBC Hausa after the 26 July attack also said insecurity had affected farming, livestock rearing and commercial activities in the community.

The resident said the poor condition of the road connecting Bakori, Guga and Kakumi was making movement difficult and could delay the deployment of security personnel during attacks.

Mr Magaji appealed to the federal, Katsina State and Bakori local governments to strengthen security across the affected communities.

He warned that continued attacks could force more residents to abandon the area and prevent farmers from cultivating their land.

“If they attack one village today and displace it, they move to another village tomorrow,” he said.

“If nothing is done, people will leave this entire area and abandon their communities.”

Police yet to respond

The spokesperson for the Katsina State Police Command, Abubakar Aliyu, did not respond to a WhatsApp message and text message sent by PREMIUM TIMES seeking confirmation of the casualty and abduction figures.

The newspaper also asked the command about the reported security response during the attack, ongoing efforts to rescue the captives and whether any arrests or recoveries had been made.

Mr Aliyu had not responded as of the time this report was filed.