Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
At least one person was killed, another injured, and a large number of livestock rustled when bandits attacked Yar Kwakware community in Tsiga ward, Bakori Local Government Area of Katsina State last night, marking the latest in a relentless wave of violence that has pushed rural farming communities across the state to the brink of collapse. The attack, which occurred late on Monday, May 18, 2026, is among several violent incidents recorded in Bakori LGA over the past week alone, as armed groups continue to operate with impunity in the region despite repeated government pledges to restore security.
According to community sources who spoke with Stone Reporters News on condition of anonymity for safety reasons, the bandits stormed Yar Kwakware around 10 p.m., firing sporadically to disperse residents before moving from house to house to round up cattle and other livestock. One resident, a farmer in his 50s, was shot dead as he attempted to prevent the rustlers from taking his herd. Another villager sustained gunshot wounds and is currently receiving treatment at a primary health centre in Tsiga ward. The assailants, who arrived on more than a dozen motorcycles, escaped into the surrounding bush after spending nearly two hours in the community.
The attack on Yar Kwakware came just hours after another deadly assault in Guga village, also in Bakori LGA, where bandits attacked a grain market and farming settlements on Sunday afternoon, killing at least 10 people, including a pregnant woman and a member of the Katsina Security Watch Corps. In that incident, armed men stormed Gidan Wawu and Gidan Sarkin Noma communities around 4 p.m. as residents returned from the weekly Guga market. According to community leader Mahadi Guga, the attackers had deliberately timed the assault for market day, when many families had returned home with supplies for the upcoming Eid-el-Kabir celebrations. The victims were buried Monday morning at a mass funeral, but residents expressed outrage over the complete absence of government officials or security personnel at the burial rites.
The latest killings have reignited urgent questions about the effectiveness of security measures across Katsina, a state that Governor Dikko Umar Radda has repeatedly described as enjoying “significant improvements” in its security situation. In April 2026, Governor Radda assured residents that the state was witnessing growing stability, attributing the progress to collaboration among security agencies and community structures. Yet the frequency and deadliness of attacks in Bakori LGA alone suggest otherwise. Residents say Guga Ward has experienced multiple attacks in recent weeks, with at least five additional deaths recorded before Sunday’s assault.
One of the most significant challenges confronting security forces, according to Governor Radda himself, is the presence of informants embedded within communities, government circles, and even the security apparatus. Speaking earlier this month, the governor revealed that bandits often receive classified information almost immediately after high-level security meetings are concluded. “There was a day I called a high-level security meeting at Government House. Five minutes later, the bandit kingpin knew everything we discussed,” Radda disclosed. He lamented that these moles provide bandits with intelligence on troop movements, planned raids, and community alerts, effectively neutralizing most security operations before they can begin.
The governor also acknowledged that many of the bandits terrorizing Katsina are not outsiders but locals who are well known within their communities and who receive logistical support including fuel, medication, and shelter from residents. This reality complicates traditional military approaches and has led the government to pursue unconventional strategies, including controversial peace deals with bandit leaders.
The Katsina State Government has defended its decision to negotiate with armed groups, citing what it calls the “Jibia Peace Model,” a fragile arrangement in which communities rely on so-called repentant bandits to restrain rival factions. In January 2026, the government initiated steps to secure the release of 70 suspected bandits from criminal trials as part of efforts to sustain these peace agreements. Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Nasir Muazu, likened the release to prisoner exchanges during wartime, claiming that the peace deal had led to the release of about 1,000 abducted persons across 15 local government areas. However, critics argue that such concessions only embolden criminals and undermine the rule of law, as fresh attacks continue unabated in areas where peace deals were supposed to have taken hold.
At the federal level, the Senate has called for urgent military reinforcement and the establishment of new barracks in Katsina State following deadly attacks that claimed at least 35 lives within a 24-hour period in February 2026. Lawmakers have also urged the deployment of sophisticated drones to monitor hard-to-reach terrains, emphasizing that persistent banditry is crippling agriculture and jeopardizing food security, with over 50,000 farmlands currently uncultivable across the state.
Meanwhile, the Nigeria Police Force has announced aggressive strategies to crush banditry, with recent operations in Jibia, Musawa, and Matazu local government areas resulting in the recovery of rifles, ammunition, and 70 rustled livestock. In one operation, a joint security team blocked bandits’ escape routes and engaged them in a gun duel, forcing the suspects to abandon their loot and flee. However, residents of Yar Kwakware and neighboring communities say such successes do little to protect them, as bandits simply shift their operations to less fortified areas.
As of the time of filing this report, the Katsina State Police Command had not issued an official statement on the Yar Kwakware attack. The community has buried its dead and is now living in fear of another raid, with many families already making plans to relocate to Bakori town or other safer areas. For the farmers who remain, the loss of their livestock is not just a financial blow but an existential one, stripping them of the means to till their land and feed their families.
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