Fear and tension have gripped residents of Gidan Dan Yaya community in Kankara Local Government Area of Katsina State following a brutal midnight attack by armed bandits that left four people dead, including a pregnant woman, and several others kidnapped.
According to eyewitness accounts, the assailants, numbering over twenty, stormed the quiet farming settlement around 11 p.m. on Sunday, firing sporadically to instill panic among residents. The attackers arrived on motorcycles, breaking into homes, looting livestock and valuables, and shooting indiscriminately at anyone attempting to escape.
Locals said the invasion lasted for nearly two hours without any security intervention. “They came in large numbers, shooting everywhere. A pregnant woman and three men were killed instantly. One person who tried to save his family was shot in the leg,” a resident told Dalena Reporters, describing the scene as terrifying.
The incident has shattered the fragile peace agreement reportedly reached between community leaders and armed groups in the area weeks earlier. Villagers expressed anger and disappointment over what they described as government neglect and security failure, accusing authorities of abandoning them despite repeated warnings about the movement of armed groups around Kankara forest.
Katsina, the home state of former President Muhammadu Buhari, has remained one of the epicenters of bandit violence in northern Nigeria, with hundreds killed and thousands displaced this year alone. Security experts say the continuous attacks underscore the weakness of current counterinsurgency efforts and the growing boldness of criminal groups operating across the North-West region.
As of Monday morning, the Katsina State Police Command had not issued an official statement on the killings, while local vigilantes and volunteers were still searching for those abducted. Humanitarian agencies warn that the escalating violence could worsen food insecurity and trigger further displacement as villagers flee their homes in fear of more attacks.
By Dalena Reporters — Northern Bureau Desk