At least 24 people have been killed by bandits in two separate attacks on communities in Musawa and Kankia Local Government Areas of Katsina State.
In the first incident on Monday evening, seven people were shot dead at Jikamshi market in Musawa LGA as traders were closing for the day.
Witnesses said about 15 armed bandits on motorcycles stormed the market, opened fire indiscriminately, and looted goods worth millions of naira.
Among those killed was Tukur Aliyu, who had just returned from Lagos after attending his daughter’s wedding, leaving behind three wives and about 20 children.
Another victim, 35-year-old Rabi’u Ashiru, a phone and recharge card trader, was killed in his shop weeks before his planned wedding. A third victim, 55-year-old Umar Salisu, left behind two wives and 16 children.
Residents of Jikamshi protested the attack by blocking major roads, burning tyres, and vandalising a vehicle suspected to belong to government officials.
They expressed frustration over the worsening insecurity and called for stronger federal government intervention, including the deployment of more security personnel and the establishment of a mobile police camp.
In a separate attack on Saturday in Gwalgoro village, Kankia LGA, residents reported that 17 people were killed, while the state government put the figure at 11.
The attack was described as a reprisal after security forces foiled an earlier bandit operation and neutralised several gang members. Many women and children have since fled the area.
The Katsina State Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Nasiru Mu’azu, said the bandits regrouped after suffering losses and launched the assault on innocent civilians.
The state police command confirmed the Gwalgoro attack and said joint security operatives have been deployed to pursue the perpetrators.
“There will be no hiding place for criminals in Katsina State,” the command assured.
Community leaders and residents have appealed for urgent moral, financial, and military support from the federal government, saying the situation has gone beyond the capacity of the state and local security networks.
The latest killings bring the number of people killed by bandits in Katsina State to over 40 in the past two months.
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