By Our Correspondent
At least six members of community-based security groups were killed when suspected terrorists launched a major attack on Guga community in Bakori Local Government Area of Katsina State on Sunday, July 26, 2026, even as security forces reportedly killed more than 40 of the attackers.
The attack, which lasted several hours, was repelled through the combined efforts of the military, Air Force, police and community-based security groups, according to accounts from the community and the Katsina State Government.
Katsina State Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Dr. Nasir Mu’azu, said troops killed more than 40 terrorists during the encounter.
The Commissioner, according to a report by Peoples Daily, said the attack was led by notorious terrorist kingpin, Idi Abasu Aiki, with support from members of the Ado Aleru group from neighbouring Zamfara State.
He said about eight senior terrorist commanders were among those killed, while Idi Abasu Aiki reportedly sustained life-threatening gunshot injuries.
Mu’azu said normalcy had been restored in the affected communities and reaffirmed the state government’s commitment to protecting lives and property across Katsina State.
Meanwhile, a resident of Guga, Mahadi Danbinta, said six people were killed on the side of the community during the attack. They comprised five hunters and a local vigilante identified as Idris Ibrahim, popularly known as Babawo.
According to Mahadi, the attackers, estimated by residents at about 300 and travelling on more than 100 motorcycles, approached Guga through the main Bakori–Guga Road from Magoje village.
He said the assault began at about 5:30 p.m. and was met by local hunters operating as part of the community’s security structure.
Mahadi credited the hunters with preventing the attackers from advancing into the main town until military reinforcements arrived.
He said troops from Mabai joined the engagement, while another contingent of military and Air Force personnel reportedly arrived from Bakori after confronting an ambush allegedly laid by the attackers at Dawan La’ila.
According to him, the combined intervention of the Air Force, military, police, CJTF hunters, Katsina Community Watch Corps and local vigilantes eventually forced the attackers to withdraw.
Mahadi also claimed that several terrorists were killed, while motorcycles and rifles were captured and two boxes of ammunition were abandoned by the fleeing attackers.
The six fatalities reported on the community side comprised five hunters and Idris Ibrahim, the local vigilante.
Mahadi said Ibrahim had already been buried according to Islamic rites, while the remains of the five hunters were yet to be buried pending a decision on their burial at the time he posted the report.
But a report monitored on an online medium, JBC Hausa, in an interview with a resident, confirmed that permission had been sought from their parents in Maiduguri, to bury the rest of the victims in Guga.
He described the late Ibrahim as a blood brother of Nasiru Ibrahim Dabo Guga.
The Guga attack comes amid renewed concerns over banditry in Bakori and neighbouring communities, following a period in which a peace arrangement involving local authorities, communities and armed groups had reportedly contributed to a reduction in kidnapping.
Recent incidents, however, have included attacks on rural communities, cattle rustling, robbery and killings, with residents increasingly calling for stronger security measures.
The latest operation appears to mark a more aggressive response by security forces, with the Commissioner’s account indicating significant losses among the attacking group.
The identification of Idi Abasu Aiki as the alleged leader of the attack and the reported involvement of members of the Ado Aleru group also provides a new dimension to the security situation, particularly given the reported cross-border movement of armed groups between Katsina and neighbouring Zamfara State.
The Katsina State Government’s confirmation of more than 40 terrorist casualties represents the strongest official indication so far of the scale of the security forces’ response to the Guga attack.
While the exact number of attackers killed could not be independently verified beyond the Commissioner’s statement, the official account and community reports agree that the attack was successfully repelled and that the assailants suffered substantial losses.
The state government said normalcy had been restored in the affected communities.
