Katsina Bandit Attacks Kill 14, Leave Many Injured

At least 14 people have lost their lives and several others were injured in two separate bandit attacks in Katsina State’s Dandume and Musawa local government areas.

In the first incident, armed assailants stormed the Dansoda community in Dandume LGA around 8 p.m. on Tuesday, killing 11 residents.

A local, speaking on condition of anonymity, described the harrowing attack:

“People ran helter-skelter as the bandits shot sporadically and also targeted some of the fleeing community members.
After they left, we cautiously came out and discovered that 11 people had been killed during the mayhem.”

The victims were buried according to Islamic rites on Wednesday morning, while the injured were taken to hospitals for treatment. As of filing this report, the state police command had not commented on the Dandume incident.

In a related attack, Katsina State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Abubakar Sadiq, confirmed that bandits struck Jikamshi village in Musawa LGA at about 6:10 p.m. the same day, leaving three people dead and 11 others injured.

“On March 10th, 2026, at about 1805 hrs, a distress call was received at Musawa Division that suspected armed bandits attacked Jikamshi village, injuring 14 persons before the arrival of security agencies.
A joint security team responded and engaged the bandits in a gun duel, successfully foiling the attack,” DSP Sadiq said.

He added:

“The injured victims were rushed to the nearest hospital. Unfortunately, three were confirmed dead, while 11 are receiving treatment.
The Commissioner of Police condemned the attack and directed further investigation to apprehend the perpetrators.”

Sources revealed that the bandits operated for over an hour, looting shops and carting away food items and other valuables worth millions of naira. Residents had reportedly informed security operatives and government officials prior to the attacks.

These incidents come shortly after a peace agreement between security-prone communities and repentant bandits, which included the release of about 70 suspected and convicted bandits, a move that drew criticism from many Nigerians.