Seven people died in a bandit attack on Sayaya community in Matazu Local Government Area of Katsina State early Thursday morning.
One of the victims was a woman. Residents say the assault ranks among the most vicious in recent months.
Gunfire erupted in the pre-dawn hours. Families scrambled out of their homes as attackers opened fire indiscriminately.
"We were asleep when we heard heavy gunshots," one resident told Daily Trust on condition of anonymity. "People were screaming, children were crying, and everyone was running in different directions."
By the time the gunmen left, seven corpses lay scattered across the village. The dead included farmers and merchants who had just begun resuming normal activities.
Sayaya residents blamed a notorious bandit commander for orchestrating the raid. Kachallah Fulani Muhammad, they said, has long terrorized communities across Matazu and surrounding areas.
"This is the same man who abducted Major General Rabe Abubakar Batsari and his wife," another community member said. "Whenever we hear his name, we know trouble is coming."
Community leaders pointed fingers at military authorities. They claimed the violence intensified after troops from Operation Fansan Yamma withdrew from the region.
"When the soldiers were here, we could sleep with our eyes closed," a village elder remarked. "But once they left, the bandits came back with more anger."
The threat extends beyond Sayaya's borders. Residents reported that the same group recently blockaded the Karaduwa-Rimaye road in broad daylight.
"They stopped vehicles as if the road belonged to them," commuter Sulaiman Sale Sayaya recounted. "People were beaten, some were abducted, and nobody could resist."
In Matazu town, mourners gathered to bury the victims following Islamic funeral rites. Grief overwhelmed families struggling to accept the losses.
"This tragedy belongs not just to Sayaya but to the entire local government," a community leader lamented. "We have lost innocent lives, and this pain will stay with us forever."
Fear has become suffocating. Entire families have abandoned Sayaya, fleeing to Matazu town and neighboring settlements.
Many residents now question whether it's safe to return home. "We cannot stay and wait to be killed," a displaced woman said while moving her children.
"At least in town, we can sleep without hearing gunshots."
Sayaya, which had recently enjoyed a fragile period of calm, now sits nearly empty. The attack shattered whatever peace residents had managed to rebuild.
