Armed bandits on Tuesday night invaded Doguwar Ɗorawa, a village just two kilometres from Guga in Bakori Local Government Area of Kastina State, killing two elderly community leaders and abducting several residents.
The incident, which locals described as “gruesome and heartbreaking,” is the latest in a series of violent raids repeatedly targeting rural communities in the area, despite the state government’s widely publicised peace agreement with the bandits.
Confirming the incident in a telephone interview on Wednesday, a respected community leader in Guga, Mahadi Danbinta Guga, said the victims were among the most influential elders in the village.
“Doguwar Ɗorawa was attacked yesterday (Tuesday) night. The bandits slaughtered two of the most respected elders — Alhaji Bishir and his brother, Alhaji Surajo,” he said.
According to him, the attackers stormed the village at about 10 p.m., operated for over an hour without any resistance, abducting several residents in the process. Guga said he was on his way to attend the burial of the slain elders and assess the extent of the destruction.
He lamented that such attacks had become alarmingly routine.
“It’s now a normal thing to the bandits here. Hardly a day passes without an attack despite the so-called peace deal,” he said.
Residents suspect that the attackers were members of gangs loyal to notorious bandit leaders, Idi Abasu Aiki and Kwashen Garuwa, who have long terrorised Bakori and surrounding communities.
“They parked their motorcycles in the bush and trekked into the village to unleash terror on innocent people,” Guga explained.
On the same night, another community in the area, Layin ‘Yannehu, was attacked, with bandits reportedly rustling a large number of livestock.
The twin attacks follow recent raids on Ganjar, Alhazawa, and Gidan Nagari communities, where at least 43 residents were abducted, forcing many families to flee their homes for safety.
As of the time of filing this report, officials of the Katsina State Government and the Bakori Local Government Council had not issued any statement regarding the latest attack.
Attempts to reach state officials were also unsuccessful, deepening residents’ frustration over what they describe as government silence and indifference to the persistent insecurity ravaging communities in Katsina’s southern zone.
