WorldStage– Terrorists have killed a Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) officer, Ibrahim Dalhatu Tafoki, along the Funtua–Tafoki road in Faskari Local Government Area of Katsina State.
The attack has cast fresh doubt on ongoing peace and reconciliation efforts with armed groups in the area.
Ibrahim Tafoki, who was on a motorcycle at the time of the attack, was ambushed on Tuesday evening in the Tafoki axis of Faskari LGA.
The assailants reportedly killed him and made away with his motorcycle.
The killing occurred in an area that has recently been the focus of dialogue and confidence-building initiatives between government-backed mediators and bandit groups, aimed at restoring calm after years of deadly violence.
The deceased was reported to be a younger brother of Rt. Hon. Shehu Dalhatu Tafoki, a Member of the House of Representatives representing the Kankara–Faskari–Sabua Federal Constituency.
He was also a son of the Tafoki traditional leader, Alhaji Dalhatu Tafoki.
A conflict-monitoring source, Bakatsine, who confirmed the incident on Wednesday, said the attack highlights the fragility of the peace process in Faskari LGA and raises serious concerns about the effectiveness of the current approach.
Katsina State has remained one of the epicentres of banditry in Nigeria’s North-West, with frequent attacks on travellers, farmers and rural communities, even as authorities continue to promote negotiations as a pathway to lasting peace.
As of the time of filing this report, neither the Katsina State Government nor security agencies had issued an official statement on the killing.
