At least 13 worshippers were killed early Tuesday when armed men stormed a mosque during dawn prayers in Katsina State.
The attack took place in Unguwan Mantau, a farming community in Malumfashi Local Government Area, where the gunmen opened fire on residents gathered for the early morning Fajr prayer.
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Officials said the attack was a reprisal after villagers earlier confronted bandits, killing several, freeing abducted hostages and seizing weapons.
Nasir Mu’azu, the Katsina State Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, confirmed the death toll in a statement on Tuesday.
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“The victims were observing prayer when the criminals started shooting sporadically in the mosque,” Mr Mu’azu said.
“The attack was in retaliation for the community’s successful defence efforts two days earlier. The people of Unguwan Mantau decided to lay an ambush against the bandits and killed many of them. They rescued victims taken from Ruwan Sanyi village, seized 3 motorcycles, and 2 AK 47.”
According to the commissioner, “Security agencies are already on the ground to restore normalcy.”
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He added that soldiers, police officers, and air force units from the Forward Operating Base had been deployed to clear the area.
“During the rainy season, bandits hide under crops to perpetrate their evil acts. We are working towards bringing them to book,” he said.
The state government said it would continue to back community defence initiatives while urging cooperation with security agencies.
Mr Mu’azu commended residents’ “gallantry” in resisting attacks but assured that government reinforcements were being mobilised to protect vulnerable communities.
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The state government has expressed condolences to the families of the victims, reaffirming its support for community-based security initiatives while working to eliminate criminal elements from the region.
“We are working towards bringing the perpetrators to book,” Mr Mu’azu said.
Barely, three days ago, in the same Malumfashi Local Government Area (LGA), PREMIUM TIMES reported that a local government official was killed and a former council vice chairman, Nasiru Dayi, kidnapped by armed gangs.
The Nigerian government has launched repeated military offensives, including air strikes on suspected bandit hideouts in forests straddling several states. Yet residents complain that attacks persist, especially during the rainy season, when gunmen use tall crops as cover.
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