Gunmen stormed a mosque in Katsina State early Tuesday, killing at least 13 worshippers during dawn prayers in what authorities described as a reprisal attack.
The assault took place in Unguwan Mantau, a farming community in Malumfashi Local Government Area, as residents gathered for the Fajr prayer. Witnesses said the attackers opened fire indiscriminately inside the mosque, sending panic through the village.
Katsina State Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Dr. Nasir Muazu, confirmed the attack in a statement, saying it was carried out in retaliation for an ambush the community had mounted against the bandits two days earlier. According to him, local vigilantes had confronted the armed group, killing several of their members.
“The incident occurred when criminal elements launched a reprisal attack on the community,” Muazu said. “They stormed the mosque while people were praying and started shooting sporadically.”
He added that a combined deployment of the Nigerian Army, police, and air force units had been sent to the area to pursue the attackers and restore calm. Security forces are also carrying out clearance operations in surrounding farmlands, where bandits often take cover during the rainy season.
The commissioner commended the bravery of Unguwan Mantau residents but warned of the risks posed by community-led ambushes without adequate security backup. He assured that the state government remained committed to strengthening local security initiatives and extending support to affected families.
“We salute the gallantry disposition of the people of Unguwan Mantau,” he said. “But government will continue to lead the fight against these criminals and ensure safety across our communities.”
Katsina, the home state of former President Muhammadu Buhari, has been one of the hardest-hit areas in Nigeria’s northwest, where armed groups locally referred to as bandits carry out raids on villages, kidnap for ransom, and clash with vigilantes. Despite military offensives, reprisal killings remain a grim feature of the region’s worsening insecurity.
