At least 21 government-backed fighters were ambushed and killed by bandits in Nigeria’s northwestern Katsina State, according to authorities.
Katsina police spokesperson Abubakar Sadiq Aliyu confirmed the attack, explaining that the fighters were returning from a funeral when they came under fire in the village of Baure, located in the Safana district.
“Sadly, 21 persons were fatally shot as a result of the attack,” Aliyu told AFP, adding that police are actively pursuing the perpetrators. Witness accounts reported by Nigeria’s Premium Times suggest the death toll might be as high as 25, with several villagers still unaccounted for. 
The victims were members of the Katsina Community Watch Corps (KCWC), a state-backed force created in 2023 by Governor Dikko Umar Radda to assist the military and police in combating banditry. Following the ambush, law enforcement has been deployed to the area to restore order.
Katsina State, along with other regions in northwestern and central Nigeria, has endured relentless bandit attacks.
These armed gangs are notorious for raiding villages, killing residents, abducting individuals, and looting homes. They operate from forest camps spread across Katsina, Zamfara, Kaduna, and Niger states.
Mass kidnappings, including the abduction of schoolchildren, have further drawn attention to the escalating violence in the region. In a separate incident in June 2024, gunmen attacked a rural community in Katsina, killing seven people and kidnapping over 100 others.
The growing insecurity has also seen Katsina targeted by Boko Haram, further complicating efforts to bring stability to the state. The KCWC, established to bolster the fight against these criminal elements, continues to face significant challenges in a region under siege by violence.
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