At Least 12 Killed in Coordinated Bandit Attacks on Multiple Villages in Katsina State

Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.

A devastating wave of coordinated bandit attacks swept through three villages in Mazoji Ward, Matazu Local Government Area of Katsina State, on the evening of Sunday, May 10, 2026, leaving at least 12 people dead and several others injured. Local sources who spoke to Stone Reporters News said the attacks were carried out simultaneously across Dugul, Hayin Nomau, and Salihawar Maruji, also known as Salihawa Saminu, communities, exposing once again the deepening insecurity in rural Katsina as families fled into the night and survivors began the grim task of counting their dead.

In Dugul village, two residents lost their lives as the gunmen stormed the community. Hayin Nomau village recorded one fatality. The heaviest toll was in Salihawar Maruji, where nine people were killed, according to community sources. Among the dead is a mother of seven whose house was among those attacked. “She was just sitting outside when they shot her. Her children are now orphans,” a resident who spoke on condition of anonymity told Stone Reporters News. The total number of casualties may still rise, as several other community members sustained injuries and are receiving treatment at local clinics.

The latest massacre in Matazu LGA underscores a brutal pattern that has turned life in this agricultural belt into a daily gamble with death. The Kankia–Matazu–Musawa axis has been under intense pressure for months, with bandits repeatedly raiding villages, rustling cattle, burning shops, and abducting residents for ransom. Only weeks ago, security forces had attempted to repel armed groups from the area, but the bloodshed has continued unabated.

One survivor, who asked not to be named, described how the attackers came well after the evening prayer, moving from house to house with impunity. “We heard gunshots everywhere. People started running into the bush. Many families are now scattered,” he said. Community leaders have placed the casualty count at 12 dead and are now appealing to the state government for urgent military intervention and humanitarian relief.

Security analysts have noted that despite recent military operations in the area, including an ambush by the 17 Brigade that killed three terrorists fleeing operations in the Matazu general area on the same day, the communities remain dangerously exposed. The attacks on the three villages appeared to have been coordinated and well‑planned, striking all three communities almost simultaneously, complicating any immediate defence by local vigilantes.

The Katsina State Government has not yet issued an official statement on the attacks, and the Nigeria Police Force has also remained silent on the incident. Community leaders have called on Governor Dikko Radda to urgently deploy additional security forces and to provide emergency relief for families who have lost breadwinners and homes. Residents are also demanding that the state government revisit its strategy of negotiating with bandits, a policy they say has only bought brief pauses in violence while allowing armed groups to rearm.

The attacks on Mazoji Ward have also sparked fresh outrage on social media, with many Nigerians decrying the persistent inability of security agencies to protect rural farming communities. Some commentators have noted that the attack in Salihawar Maruji, which claimed nine lives, occurred less than 24 hours after the Nigerian Army announced successful clearance operations targeting terrorist enclaves in Matazu, Musawa, and Kankia LGAs. The contradiction between official military announcements and the lived reality of rural communities has deepened the trust deficit between citizens and security forces.

As the sun rose over the three devastated villages, families began preparing for mass burials. The wailing of widows and the sight of children orphaned by a single night of terror have left the community in a state of shock. A community elder who spoke to Stone Reporters News simply said, “We are tired of burying our people. We need the government to act now, not tomorrow.” For the people of Mazoji Ward, the question that lingers is how many more lives must be lost before the government takes decisive action to secure vulnerable communities.

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