Reported by: Oahimire Omone Precious | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
Suspected bandits launched a deadly assault on Gurbi Village in the Kankara Local Government Area of Katsina State on Sunday afternoon, killing 11 people and injuring two others before fleeing as security forces approached. The attack occurred at approximately 2:40 p.m. on April 26, 2026, a stark departure from the night-time raids that have historically plagued rural communities in Nigeria’s North‑West. Police said the armed assailants stormed the agrarian settlement and opened fire on unsuspecting residents, fatally shooting 11 persons on the spot. Two other villagers sustained varying degrees of injury before a joint team of police, military and other security agencies arrived at the scene.
The Katsina State Police Command confirmed the incident in a statement issued on Monday, April 27, 2026, by the Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Abubakar Sadiq Aliyu, who put the number of fatalities at 11. The statement said the attackers fled as the advancing security forces closed in, and that normalcy has since been restored to the community. “On receipt of the distress call, a joint security team comprising the police, military, and other sister security agencies, led by the DPO, promptly mobilised to the scene. The assailants fled on sighting the advancing security forces,” the statement read.
The injured victims were evacuated to a nearby hospital for medical attention, while the bodies of the deceased were released to their families for burial in line with Islamic rites. The Commissioner of Police for Katsina State, CP Ali Umar Fage, has deployed additional tactical teams to the area to forestall further attacks and has directed the Divisional Police Officer and Area Commander to intensify intelligence-led patrols and ensure robust collaboration with sister security agencies and community stakeholders. “The command commiserates with the families of the deceased and assures the public that efforts are in top gear to track, apprehend and prosecute the perpetrators of this heinous act,” the police spokesman added.
The attack is the latest in a string of violent incidents that have turned Kankara LGA into a theatre of bloodshed. Just three days earlier, bandits had attacked Zangon Kankara, setting two houses and a car ablaze and abducting two residents. The area has been under sustained assault for months, forcing many farmers to abandon their fields and families to flee to internally displaced persons camps in Katsina town. The bandits have become increasingly audacious, mounting roadblocks on the Kankara-Funtua highway, kidnapping travellers and extorting money from motorists.
The incident also highlights the changing tactics of the criminal gangs. By striking in the afternoon, the bandits exploited the element of surprise, catching residents off guard at a time when security patrols are often reduced. Witnesses told local reporters that the assailants moved from house to house, shooting anyone who tried to flee. “They came on motorcycles, about 20 of them, shooting into the air and then into homes,” a resident who asked not to be named said. “We ran into the bush. When we came back, we found our neighbours dead.”
The Katsina State Police Command has called on members of the public to remain calm and to volunteer useful information that will assist the ongoing investigations. Emergency lines have been provided for citizens to report suspicious persons or movements: 08156977777 and 07072722539. Following the attack, the command also reinforced security in the area, deploying additional tactical teams to prevent further incidents, and ordered intensified patrols and closer collaboration between security agencies and local communities.
The Gurbi Village massacre is a grim reminder of the persistent security crisis gripping the North‑West. Despite repeated military operations under the banner of Operation FANSAN YAMMA, bandits continue to operate with near-impunity, exploiting the vast, ungoverned forest corridors that stretch across Katsina, Zamfara, Kaduna and Niger states. The federal government has allocated substantial resources to the military and police, but the cycle of attacks, reprisals and displacement shows no sign of abating. For the families of the 11 victims, the only comfort is that their loved ones have been buried according to Islamic rites. But justice has not yet been served, and the killers remain at large. As the sun set over Gurbi Village on Sunday, the silence was broken only by the wails of women mourning their dead. The bandits had come, killed and vanished, leaving behind nothing but grief and a deepening sense of abandonment.
📩 Stone Reporters News | 🌍 stonereportersnews.com
✉️ info@stonereportersnews.com | 📘 Facebook: Stone Reporters News | 🐦 X (Twitter): @StoneReportNew | 📸 Instagram: @stonereportersnews
Add comment
Comments