BAUCHI — Tragedy struck the Alkaleri Local Government Area of Bauchi State on Friday evening as gunmen launched a deadly assault on residents of Kafi village in the Duguri District, leaving at least four people dead and several others critically injured.
The attack occurred at approximately 6:25 p.m., just as Muslim faithful were preparing to break their Ramadan fast. The gunmen, suspected to be bandits operating from the border forests, reportedly opened fire on unsuspecting villagers who were gathered for the Maghrib prayers.
Casualties And Identified Victims
According to local sources and security reports, the deceased include Danjuma Talaka and three other residents who were caught in the crossfire. Four others sustained severe gunshot wounds and are currently receiving emergency medical treatment. The injured have been identified as:
- Khadija Ismail (30)
- Adamu Yusha’u (18)
- Yusha’u Madaki (30)
- Umar Barde (37)
Security Response And Firefight
Following the initial alarm, a joint security team comprising military personnel and local vigilantes engaged the bandits in a fierce gun battle. During the confrontation, an unspecified number of the attackers were reportedly neutralized, while others fled into the surrounding bushes with gunshot wounds. Security forces were also successful in recovering several heads of cattle that the bandits had attempted to rustle.
Escalating Terror In Alkaleri
The Gwana and Duguri axes of Alkaleri have become hotspots for violent incursions in recent weeks due to their proximity to the expansive forests bordering Gombe and Taraba states.
- Abductions in Digare: Just days prior, on February 14, gunmen invaded the residence of a local cleric in Digare, abducting four women. While two were rescued in a subsequent raid, others remain in captivity.
- Military Ambush: On February 15, the region mourned the loss of two security operatives who were killed in an ambush near Kyaram village while on a clearance patrol.
Public Outcry Over Ramadan Attacks
Community leaders in Alkaleri have condemned the “barbaric” timing of the attack, noting that the bandits exploited the vulnerability of the villagers during the sacred month of Ramadan.
“They waited for the very moment people were reaching for water to break their fast,” one resident of Gwana lamented. “There is no respect for human life or the holy month anymore.”
While the Bauchi State Police Command has intensified patrols across the affected districts, residents remain on high alert, calling for a permanent military outpost to be established in the Gwana-Duguri corridor to stem the tide of perennial kidnappings and killings.
