Bandits have intensified attacks on communities across southern Katsina State, killing residents, abducting farmers and rustling livestock.

The attacks, which forced families from their homes, happened despite a community-initiated peace accord with bandit groups.

The latest attacks, recorded in Bakori, Funtua, Faskari and Dandume local government areas within days, have disrupted farming and trading activities and left residents increasingly fearful of returning to their communities.

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Residents said some families had become too impoverished to pay ransom for relatives abducted by the bandits.

In Bakori Local Government Area, at least three people were killed while several others sustained gunshot wounds when bandits invaded communities in Jargaba and Kandarawa wards at about 9:30 pm on Saturday.

The attackers reportedly sneaked into Gidan Na Kaura, Yar Tukunya, Unguwar Gambo and Gidan Sarkin under the cover of darkness, moving from one settlement to another while shooting residents and rustling livestock.

One person was reportedly killed at Unguwar Gambo and another at Gidan Sarki, while several others sustained gunshot injuries.

Residents said the casualty figure could be higher as some of the victims were taken to different health facilities for treatment.

At Gidan Na Kaura, the attackers reportedly sacked residents and rustled sheep, depriving households of livestock that constituted an important source of food and income.

Residents, Aminu Mamuda and Aminu Magaji, said many families had fled their homes following the attacks.

Mamuda said the renewed attacks had created fear among residents and made it increasingly difficult for people who had previously returned home to remain in the communities.

Magaji said the situation could force more communities to become deserted if adequate security measures were not put in place.

A resident said bandits had made movements between communities increasingly dangerous.

"We are still dealing with these people. If you walk just about a kilometre outside the town, you can encounter them. They either shoot someone or seize the motorcycle you are riding.

"Even last Friday, they abducted two of our people, and they are still in their custody. We also have other people who remain in their den," he said.

15 villages deserted in Dandume

In Dandume LGA, 15 villages have been deserted following renewed attacks by bandits, a resident told the BBC.

"I know of about 15 villages that currently have no one living in them. There are no houses occupied, no people and nothing left. They have become deserted.

"We are not asking the government for infrastructure. We want peace. We want to be able to go to our farms and sleep peacefully in our homes," the resident, who preferred to be anonymous, said.

On Friday, the bandits reportedly attacked Takalmawa, under the Yakurutu village, in Dandume LGA, killing five residents.

On the same day, September 4, the attackers reportedly seized motorcycles from residents of Jiruwaya in Dandume A ward.

Residents said the bandits returned to the community on Saturday and abducted two people, while another person escaped unhurt.

A community leader in Dandume, who pleaded anonymity because of security concerns, expressed displeasure over the recent attacks on farming communities across the area.

"People are afraid to go to their farms. When farmers cannot access their farms, the consequences will go beyond security. It will affect food production and the ability of families to survive," he said.

"For the past two weeks, there has not been a single day when these bandits did not come into the local government area to either kill people, abduct them or drive them away from their farms or homes," another resident said.

He claimed that more than 100 people had been abducted in the area within two weeks.

"I know of cases where ransom money was taken to them, and motorcycles were delivered, but they still refused to release the victims.

"In some other cases, we have not even been able to establish contact with the bandits to negotiate," he said.

Funtua

In Funtua, suspected bandits armed with AK-47 rifles and other dangerous weapons attacked Kasuwar Mata, Unguwar Mata, Sabuwar Abuja and Bagari quarters on Thursday night.

The attackers reportedly sneaked into the communities and opened sporadic gunfire, causing residents to flee their homes and seek safety in nearby locations.

Sources familiar with the incident said the assailants abducted several residents and took them to nearby farms, where they tied them up.

The victims were later rescued after residents and security personnel mobilised following information about the attack.

"The way things are happening now shows that there is nowhere the bandits cannot attack in Funtua town," a resident said.

The resident said security personnel also engaged the bandits in a gun battle on Thursday when they attempted to seize cattle in the MTD area.

"One of the bandits was killed, while they also killed one person when they exchanged gunfire with security personnel in the Unguwar Shanu neighbourhood," he said.

The Chairman of Funtua Local Government Area, Abdulmutallib Sulaiman Goya, did not respond to repeated calls and text messages sent by our reporter.

Faskari

In Faskari Local Government Area, bandits loyal to a notorious kingpin, Idi a Basu Aiki, have also continued to terrorise rural communities, according to multiple sources close to security operatives operating in the area.

The sources said the bandits attacked Unguwar Miko last week, killing about five farmers and rustling livestock.

They also reportedly abducted 13 farmers from Gidan Alhaji Sule under Doma A ward.

The attackers have also continued to burgle and loot shops in Doma A and rustle livestock in about three other communities, the sources said.

On Thursday, the bandits reportedly attacked Tafoki village and rustled livestock before they were engaged by a combination of local security forces and mobile policemen.

Four of the bandits were reportedly neutralised during the confrontation.

The spokesman for the Katsina State Police Command, DSP Sadiq Aliyu, said he could only verify the details of the incident, including the extent of casualties and damages, after investigating the situation.

He promised to provide further information after the investigation but had not called back with an update as of the time of filing this report.

Last month, bandits killed 13 people and burned several houses in Unguwar Guru community, Kankia Local Government Area, after residents refused to pay N1 million levy imposed on them by the gunmen after a 7-day ultimatum.

The District Head of Rimaye, Alhaji Salim Yusuf Yakubu, described the decision by the villagers to negotiate with the bandits as a serious mistake, warning other communities against repeating it.

"The people should not enter into any agreement with bandits without the consent of the local and state authorities. What happened has shown us the danger of taking such decisions without involving the local authorities and the government."

Yakubu said the consequences of the failed agreement had been devastating, resulting in killings, abductions, livestock rustling and the displacement of residents from their ancestral communities.

"The wrong decision has brought serious consequences to the people. We have lost lives, people have been abducted, animals have been rustled, and many residents have been forced to flee their homes."

He urged survivors and residents of other vulnerable communities to work with the government and security agencies in addressing insecurity rather than negotiating independently with criminal elements.