The fragile peace in Katsina State suffered another blow yesterday when bandits stormed Doguwar Dorawa, a small farming community near Guga in Bakori Local Government Area of the State, killing two respected elders and abducting several residents.

The attack, which lasted for over an hour, has again raised questions about the effectiveness of the peace accord between the state government and some armed groups operating across the region.

According to community sources, the assailants invaded the village around 10 p.m., slaughtering two brothers, Alhaji Bishir and Alhaji Surajo, both regarded as pillars of leadership and moral guidance in the community.

A community leader, Mahadi Danbinta Guga, said they were killed in cold blood.

Residents say the attackers came on motorcycles, parked them in the bush, and walked into the village to avoid being noticed.

For more than an hour, they operated freely killing, looting, and abducting people without any resistance.

The killings have renewed anger and despair among residents, who now describe the state’s peace pact with bandits as a failed experiment.

Locals believe the attackers are loyalists of Idi Abasu Aiki and Kwashen Garwa, two notorious bandit leaders operating in Bakori and nearby communities.

While Doguwar Dorawa mourned, another community, Layin ‘Yannehu, was simultaneously attacked, with the bandits rustling a large number of animals.

Similar incidents were recorded in Ganjar, Alhazawa, and Gidan Nagari in recent weeks, where over 40 people were abducted and several families displaced.

As of the time of filing this report, neither the Katsina State Government nor the Bakori Local Government Council had issued any official statement on the latest killings.

In the second week of October, Bakori along other two local government areas of Malumfashi and Funtua entered into a peace accord with bandits in renewed efforts to curb persistent attacks, killings, and abductions. (Daily Trust, but headline rejigged)