Renewed Bandit Attacks Raise Doubts Over Peace Deals in Katsina

A wave of fresh attacks by armed bandits across multiple local government areas in Katsina State has cast serious doubt on the effectiveness of peace agreements brokered between communities and the outlaws.

The resurgence of violence, marked by killings, abductions, and injuries, has heightened anxiety among residents, despite previous rapprochement efforts. This development coincides with controversy surrounding a reported state government plan to release 70 suspected or convicted bandits in exchange for approximately 1,000 victims previously freed.

A Spate of Coordinated Attacks

Communities in Dandume, Kankara, Faskari, Jibia, Funtua, Malumfashi, Kurfi, and Dutsin-ma Local Government Areas have been targeted. In a late-night raid on January 22, 2026, bandits attacked several communities in Dandume, abducting eight persons and injuring eleven others.

In Kankara, a wedding motorcade in Unguwar Nagunda community was attacked last Sunday night. The assault left two farmers dead, the bride and others with gunshot wounds, and an unconfirmed number of guests abducted. “This incident further heightened fears over persistent insecurity,” said a local resident, Ibrahim Hassan.

Separate attacks in Gidan Sarki community on Monday resulted in two deaths and ten abductions, including five married couples. In Funtua, five people were kidnapped from Dikke village on Saturday, with one victim later escaping. Residents noted the bandits adopted a new tactic, parking their motorcycles in the forest and trekking into the community to carry out the raid.

In Faskari LGA, bandits kidnapped six residents from two villages, Unguwan Malam Musa and Nadankama, while they were working on their farmlands. The kidnappers have reportedly demanded ransoms, initially set at N14 million per person before being reduced to N2.5 million a sum locals describe as unaffordable.

Official Response Points to “Recalcitrant” Elements

While the State Police Command and the Commissioner for Internal Security could not be reached for comment, the Director-General of Media to Governor Dikko Radda, Maiwada Dammallam, addressed the situation. He attributed the resurgence to a few bandit leaders who refused to embrace the peace deal, specifically naming a “notorious and recalcitrant bandit, Mani Doro,” operating from the Danmusa axis.

Dammallam stated that security forces are actively pursuing these defiant elements and emphasized that the state government’s blend of kinetic and non-kinetic strategies had previously brought relative peace to the state.

Communities Mourn and Plead for Security

In a separate series of midnight attacks in Dandume LGA, eyewitnesses report eight persons were killed, eleven injured, and one abducted across Baraje, Kirijan, Shugu, Kauran Pawa, and Unguwar Jika villages. Properties were also vandalized.

Residents of the affected communities have buried their dead and are treating the wounded. They express deep concern, describing the attacks as a blatant violation of last year’s peace agreements where both sides pledged to coexist peacefully. They are calling on the government and security agencies to take urgent action to protect lives and property and prevent further violence.