Suspected bandits on Tuesday carried out a brutal and audacious daylight attack on Doma community under Tafoki Ward in Faskari Local Government Area of Katsina State, killing about 20 residents and leaving the area in ruins.
The assailants reportedly stormed the community in the early afternoon and operated freely for hours, shooting sporadically and setting houses on fire, before withdrawing around 4:00 p.m. without resistance.
Eyewitnesses said the attackers moved from house to house, unleashing terror on helpless residents, while several buildings were reduced to ashes in what locals described as one of the most savage assaults in recent months.
The attack came despite a peace agreement earlier reached between the armed groups and the community, raising serious concerns over the effectiveness and credibility of such arrangements.
Confirming the incident, the area chairman, Alhaji Surajo Aliyu-Daudawa, described the invasion as a reprisal attack and the most devastating assault on the community in the past five months.
According to him, bodies of the victims were evacuated after the attack, while funeral prayers were scheduled to take place in Tafoki town on Wednesday morning.
Aliyu-Daudawa lamented the scale of destruction and loss of lives, praying for divine intervention to prevent a repeat of the tragedy.
Meanwhile, the Katsina State Police Command confirmed the attack but gave a lower casualty figure, stating that 13 people were killed by the assailants.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, the Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Aliyu Abubakar, said a distress call was received at about 2:00 p.m. on February 3, 2026, reporting that armed bandits had launched an attack on Doma village in Faskari Local Government Area.
He said operatives from the Faskari Division, working with the military and members of the Katsina State Community Watch Corps, were mobilised to the area, but the attackers fled before security forces arrived.
“Unfortunately, the assailants had fatally shot 13 persons and escaped the scene before the arrival of the operatives,” the statement said.
The latest attack once again underscores the persistent insecurity in rural Katsina communities, where armed groups continue to strike with impunity despite security operations and peace initiatives.
