By Ayomide Otitoju
Suspected bandits have reportedly attacked a wedding convoy in Unguwar Nagunda community, Kankara Local Government Area of Katsina State, killing at least two people and abducting several others.
The attack, which occurred on Sunday night, triggered heavy gunfire and panic among residents, according to a security source. The source said families were still trying to ascertain the exact number of wedding guests taken away by the attackers.
“As of this morning, families are still trying to confirm how many people were abducted,” the source said on Monday.
Efforts to obtain an official reaction from the Katsina State Police Command were unsuccessful, as calls and text messages to the Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Abubakar Sadiq, were not responded to as of the time of filing this report.
The incident comes amid controversy surrounding the Katsina State Government’s plan to release detained suspected bandits as part of efforts to sustain what it described as an “existing peace” deal with repentant bandits in affected communities. The government had said the initiative contributed to the release of at least 1,000 persons previously held captive by bandits across the state, noting that similar strategies are adopted in conflict situations globally.
On January 2, 2026, a confidential letter detailing plans to secure the release of suspected bandits facing criminal trials surfaced in the public domain. The letter, classified as “SECRET,” was issued by the Ministry of Justice and addressed to the Chief Judge of Katsina State, Justice Musa Abubakar.
Signed by the Director of Public Prosecutions, Abdur-Rahman Umar, the letter sought the intervention of the Administration of Criminal Justice Monitoring Committee (ACJMC) to facilitate the release of the suspects. It disclosed that a list of 48 individuals accused of various banditry-related offences had been submitted to the Ministry of Justice by the Ministry of Internal Security and Home Affairs.
According to the letter, the proposed release was intended to serve as a condition for the continuation of the peace accord between frontline local governments and bandit groups. It added that while some of the suspects were already standing trial at the Federal High Court, others were being held in various magistrates’ courts across the state awaiting trial.
The document further revealed that an additional list of about 22 inmates facing trial before different high courts in the state had been submitted for release under the same peace arrangement, with the Chief Judge urged to take the necessary action.
