Accord Fails As Bandits Kill 2 Community Leaders, Abduct Others In Katsina

The fragile peace in Katsina State suffered another blow when bandits stormed Doguwar Ɗorawa, a small farming community near Guga in Bakori local government area of the State, killing two respected elders and abducting several residents.

The attack, which lasted for over an hour, has once again raised questions about the effectiveness of the peace accord between the some communities and armed groups operating across the area.

According to community sources, the assailants invaded the village around 10 p.m. on Tuesday, slaughtering two brothers, Alhaji Bishir and Alhaji Surajo, both regarded as pillars of leadership and moral guidance in the community.

A community leader, Mahadi Dani ta Guga, said: “They killed them in cold blood. The bandits attacked Doguwar Ɗorawa yesterday night, slaughtered two of our most influential elders. Many others were abducted during the attack.”

Residents said the attackers came on motorcycles, parked them in the bush, and walked into the village to avoid being noticed. For more than an hour, they operated freely by killing, looting, and abducting people without any resistance.

The killings have renewed anger and despair among residents, who now described the state’s peace pact with bandits as a failed experiment.

“It’s now a normal thing here,” Guga lamented. “Hardly a day passes without an attack despite the so-called peace deal. We are tired of promises; our people are dying every day.”

Locals believed the attackers are loyalists of Idi Abasu Aiki and Kwashen Garuwa, two notorious bandit leaders operating in Bakori LGA and nearby communities.

While Doguwar Ɗorawa mourned, another community, Layin ‘Yannehu, was simultaneously attacked, with the bandits rustling a large number of livestock. Similar incidents were recorded in Ganjar, Alhazawa, and Gidan Nagari in recent weeks, where over 40 people were abducted and several families displaced.

As of the time of filing this report, neither the Katsina State Government nor the Bakori local government area council had issued any official statement on the latest killings. The silence, residents said, adds to the sense of abandonment.