Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
In a latest display of terror that has become all too routine across Katsina State, armed bandits stormed Mai Gamji community in Funtua Local Government Area on Monday night, June 22, 2026, abducting several residents including a woman and her daughter, an incident that has ignited renewed anger among residents already worn down by years of relentless attacks and government inaction.
The attack, which occurred under the cover of darkness, saw gunmen invade the community, firing sporadically to create panic before rounding up their victims. According to residents, the assailants moved from house to house, selecting their targets and whisking them away into the surrounding bush. Among those taken were a mother and her young daughter, whose names have not been released for security reasons. The exact number of those abducted remains unclear as of the time of this report, with families still trying to account for missing relatives.
The Mai Gamji community, located in the Funtua axis, has been a recurring target for bandit attacks. In February 2026, a similar attack on the community left dozens dead and forced residents to flee, according to a Premium Times report. The Funtua zone has witnessed a surge in attacks in recent months, with a cleric recently describing the security situation in the area as “dire,” alleging that attacks occur almost daily at different times, with criminals targeting villages, abducting residents, assaulting women and looting property. In a separate incident earlier this month, bandits laid an ambush at Kwanar Gamji, around Hawan‑Fulani, killing one driver and abducting an unspecified number of passengers.
The raid on Mai Gamji is part of a broader pattern of violence that has gripped Katsina State, where communities in Kankia, Musawa, Kankara, and Malumfashi Local Government Areas have been subjected to persistent bandit attacks, kidnappings and killings, forcing residents, worshippers and clergy to flee for safety. The insecurity has become so severe that at least 10 churches have been shut down across the state as a result of the violence. The Katsina State Police Command had not issued an official statement on the latest attack as of Wednesday morning, and it remains unclear whether any rescue operation has been launched.
For the families of the abducted victims, the hours since the attack have been an agonising wait. The mother and daughter taken from their home are now somewhere in the vast forests that have become the bandits' fortress. The question on the lips of many residents is no longer just about how to survive, but where to run to. As one resident lamented to a local news outlet earlier this month: “No day passes in Katsina without bandits abducting, killing or raping women in the state”. Monday night's raid on Mai Gamji is yet another grim confirmation of that painful reality.
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