Bandits kill two community leaders, despite ongoing peace accord

Story by Susan Mbamah 

The uneasy calm in Katsina State was shattered again on Thursday night as armed bandits attacked Doguwar Dorawa, a farming community near Guga in Bakori Local Government Area, killing two prominent community leaders and abducting several residents.

The violent incursion, which lasted for more than an hour, has cast renewed doubt on the effectiveness of the state government’s peace agreement with armed groups operating across the region.

According to eyewitnesses, the attackers arrived around 10 p.m., slaughtering two brothers Alhaji Bishir and Alhaji Surajo both respected for their leadership and moral influence in the community.

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A community leader, Mahadi Danbinta Guga, described the killings as “cold-blooded,” adding that the assailants came on motorcycles, which they hid in nearby bushes before sneaking into the village on foot to avoid detection.

“For over an hour, they operated without resistance killing, looting, and abducting residents,” he said.

The latest killings have deepened frustration and hopelessness among locals, many of whom now regard the state’s peace initiative as a failed venture. Residents believe the attackers are loyalists of notorious bandit leaders Idi Abasu Aiki and Kwashen Garwa, who have been terrorizing Bakori and neighboring areas.

READ ALSO: Radda Draws The Line: “Katsina will never negotiate with bandits”

While Doguwar Dorawa mourned, another nearby community, Layin ‘Yannehu, also came under attack the same night, with the bandits rustling a large number of livestock.

Similar incidents have recently occurred in Ganjar, Alhazawa, and Gidan Nagari, where more than 40 people have been abducted and dozens of families displaced.

As of the time of filing this report, neither the Katsina State Government nor the Bakori Local Government Council had issued an official statement regarding the latest killings.

In mid-October, Bakori, alongside Malumfashi and Funtua Local Government Areas, signed a peace accord with armed groups in a renewed effort to end recurring attacks, kidnappings, and killings in the region.

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