Thursday 21 / August / 2025
At least 50 people were killed in a widespread attack on Muslim communities in Nigeria's Katsina state, officials confirmed Wednesday. Initially, the death toll of the Tuesday attacks was reported to be much lower.
The crime was said to be perpetrated by so-called "bandits," members of criminal gangs who regularly target communities in the region.
Gunmen first targeted a mosque in the town of Unguwar Mantau, where some 30 worshipers were killed. Then, the attackers killed an additional 20 people and burned homes in nearby villages.
Katsina police spokesperson Abubakar Sadiq Aliyu said the attackers were intercepted by authorities.The measures successfully prevented a planned assault on two villages.
By then, however, the bandits had already set homes ablaze in other villages and kidnapped dozens of people, with survivors describing harrowing scenes of women and girls being dragged away by the assailants.
What was the motive for the attack?
Nigeria's bandits routinely raid villages, kidnap residents for ransom and burn homes after looting them.
The violence in the northwestern part of the country began as disputes over land and water between farmers and herders but has morphed into organized crime.
Cattle rustling, kidnappings and extortion targeting farming communities now provide steady revenue to armed groups.
The insecurity is worsened by the limited presence of state institutions in mineral-rich but impoverished regions.
Local resident Nura Musa told AFP that the attack came after local self-defense vigilantes had ambushed a bandit gang over the weekend.
"The vigilantes keep vigil from dusk to dawn, patrolling the village and environs against bandits," Musa said.
But as they ended their watch, they went to the mosque where the bandits launched their attack, he added.
