Nigeria: Death Toll Rises to 27 after Gunmen Target Worshippers at Mosque
The assault took place in Unguwan Mantau, a remote community in Katsina State’s Malumfashi district. Witnesses reported that the attackers struck around 04:00 GMT, shooting indiscriminately at worshippers gathered for the early morning prayers.
A village chief confirmed the scale of the killings, while a hospital official said survivors had been admitted with gunshot wounds.
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No group has claimed responsibility, but such violence is common across Nigeria’s north-central and northwestern regions, where armed groups locally described as “bandits” often raid villages, abduct residents, and block highways.
In June, more than 100 people were killed in a similar assault in the region.
Authorities said security forces were sent to the scene in the aftermath of Tuesday’s killings. Katsina State commissioner Nasir Mu’azu explained that attackers often exploit farmlands during the rainy season, using the crops for cover before launching surprise raids.
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Nigeria has faced a surge of violence in recent years, affecting both its Muslim and Christian communities. Rights groups have repeatedly criticized the government for failing to stem the bloodshed, pointing to frequent mass killings in states such as Benue in the southeast, where nearly 200 people were reported dead in one incident earlier this year.
Source: Agencies
