Nigeria’s worsening security crisis deepened over the weekend as armed bandits launched fresh attacks in Katsina and Plateau states, leaving one person dead, several others injured, dozens abducted and communities once again gripped by fear.
In Katsina State, heavily armed bandits stormed Shuwaki Community in Bakori Local Government Area on Saturday night, killing one resident, injuring at least seven others and abducting 31 people, the majority of them women and children.
The attackers reportedly invaded the community between 9:00 p.m. and 9:45 p.m. and operated for nearly two hours, raiding homes, rustling livestock and looting valuables before fleeing into the forest.
Former Chairman of Bakori Local Government, Aminu Magaji, disclosed that the gunmen escaped with cattle, sheep, mobile phones and other valuables while residents watched helplessly.
He revealed that one of the abducted women was later abandoned near Doma Village after she became too weak to continue the journey, leaving 31 victims still in captivity. Many of those kidnapped, he said, were women carrying infants.
Magaji further disclosed that security agencies were alerted while the attack was in progress, prompting a joint deployment of police officers, soldiers and members of the Katsina Community Watch Corps. Despite the response, the attackers escaped with their captives without resistance.
As of the time of filing this report, no communication had been established with the kidnappers and no ransom demand had been received.
Residents said the latest assault came barely days after similar attacks on Unguwar Dogo and Alhazawa communities, where several people were injured and livestock stolen.
Community leaders warned that repeated attacks since late July have displaced many families, crippled farming activities and left residents living in constant fear, with persistent cattle rustling depriving farmers of the animals needed for cultivation.
Meanwhile, fresh violence also erupted in Plateau State, where the Berom Youth Moulders Association (BYM) condemned the killing of a former councillor of Riyom Local Government Area during a separate late-night attack.
The group alleged that suspected armed Fulani attackers and bandits invaded Torok Community at about 10:45 p.m. on Sunday and killed former councillor Daniel Danjuma Chong before fleeing.
In a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Rwang Tengwon, the association alleged that the attackers emerged from Kess, a Fulani settlement popularly known as Bangai-Fulani, before opening fire on residents and fatally shooting the former councillor.
The group called on security agencies and the Plateau State Government to immediately arrest those responsible and dismantle what it described as terrorist hideouts in Bangai-Fulani.
BYM also renewed its demand for a total ban on open grazing, arguing that the practice had become a shield for terrorism, banditry and repeated attacks on communities across Riyom and other parts of Plateau State.
The latest attacks have once again intensified concerns over the country’s deteriorating security situation, as communities continue to bear the devastating consequences of recurring killings, kidnappings and violent raids despite ongoing security operations.