By Muhammad Mamman
In a brazen daylight attack, armed bandits gunned down a local government worker and abducted a former council vice chairman in Katsina State’s Malumfashi Local Government Area, intensifying fears in a region plagued by relentless violence.
The assailants, dubbed “Solar” for their audacious daytime operations, struck Thursday evening, leaving a trail of chaos in Dayi town. Around 4 p.m., a large group of gunmen stormed the settlements of Gidan Boro and Tuge before descending on Dayi by 8 p.m., shortly after the evening Maghrib prayer. Witnesses described a terrifying hours-long rampage that shattered the community’s fragile sense of security.
Aminu, a local government employee known as “Over-Over,” was shot dead at his farm. Nasiru Dayi, a former councillor and vice chairman of Malumfashi LGA, was kidnapped from his home, with residents powerless to intervene. “Not even 10 minutes after I got back, I started hearing gunshots,” said Baba Danladi, a local shopkeeper. “Last night was terrible.”
Residents say such attacks have become a near-daily nightmare, with bandits exploiting tall crops for cover to strike with impunity. “Hardly any two days pass without an attack,” a community elder told CNN anonymously, citing fear of reprisals. “They now work in the daytime, unafraid.”
The violence has driven prominent residents to flee Dayi, returning only briefly to check on businesses and families. Just two days earlier, gunmen in nearby Ungwar Bugaw shot a village elder in the hand after failing to find cattle to steal, vowing to leave a “mark” on the community.
The assault starkly contradicts a recent Katsina State government report claiming “significant progress” in security, with Malumfashi classified as “Improved” and facing only “minimal insecurity.” Residents, however, describe a grim reality of constant fear, with neighboring communities under siege. “There is hardly any time we can say we are free,” said Mustapha Ahmed, a Dayi resident.
Katsina police spokesperson Sadiq Abubakar did not respond to requests for comment.
