At least 14 persons were killed and dozens injured when armed bandits carried out two separate attacks on communities in Katsina State on Tuesday.

The attacks occurred in Dandume Local Government Area and Musawa Local Government Area, according to residents and local sources.

In the first incident, the bandits reportedly stormed Dansoda community in Dandume at about 8 p.m., killing 11 people.

A resident said the attack occurred shortly after residents had broken their Ramadan fast and were relaxing outside their homes.

“People had finished breaking their fast and many were seated under trees outside their homes when the bandits suddenly arrived and began shooting,” the source said.

He added that residents fled in different directions as the attackers fired sporadically, while some victims were shot while attempting to escape.

After the gunmen left, community members cautiously emerged from their homes and hiding places, only to discover that 11 people had been killed in the attack.

The victims were buried around 9 a.m. on Wednesday in accordance with Islamic rites, while the injured were taken to hospital for treatment.

In a separate incident the same day, bandits attacked Jikamshi community in Musawa Local Government Area at about 6:10 p.m., killing three people and injuring several others.

Sources familiar with the incident said the attackers operated in the community for more than an hour, looting shops and carting away food items and other valuables worth millions of naira.

Residents said they had earlier alerted security operatives and government officials about a possible attack before the incident occurred.

The latest violence comes despite a recent peace agreement reportedly reached between some security-affected communities and repentant bandits in parts of the state.

Part of the arrangement reportedly involved the release of about 70 suspected and convicted bandits, a development that has drawn criticism from many Nigerians.

As of the time of filing this report, the Nigeria Police Force command in Katsina had yet to issue an official statement on the two incidents.