Terror has returned to the heart of Katsina State, where a brutal midday raid by armed bandits has left at least 13 people dead and a community in ashes.

The attack on Doma town in the Tafoki district is the latest chapter in the bloody saga of banditry that plagues Nigeria's northwest. Witnesses report that the gunmen arrived not under the cover of darkness, but in broad daylight, riding on motorcycles and unleashing a hail of bullets that pinned residents in their homes. For hours, the bandits operated with impunity, looting livestock and setting granaries ablaze.

A Siege of Terror

According to police reports, the attackers stormed the village around 12:00 PM. They blocked the exit routes, effectively turning the village into a kill box. "They didn't just want to steal; they wanted to send a message," said a local vigilante member who survived the assault. The victims include women and children who were unable to flee into the surrounding bush.

• Police Response: Security forces arrived hours after the attack began, engaging in a brief gunfight before the bandits retreated into the Rugu Forest.
• The Toll: Beyond the 13 confirmed dead, dozens are reported missing, feared kidnapped for ransom—a lucrative trade for these criminal gangs.
• Regional Crisis: This attack comes just days after the governor promised a renewed crackdown on bandit enclaves.

The Crisis Deepens

Katsina, the home state of former presidents, has become a frontline in the war against banditry. The audacity of a midday attack suggests that the criminal gangs feel little fear of the state's security apparatus. The local economy, largely agrarian, is collapsing as farmers are too terrified to tend to their fields.

As families in Doma bury their dead, the silence from the federal government is deafening. The residents are asking a simple, haunting question: how many more must die before their lives are valued enough to be protected?