Death toll from Katsina mosque attack climbs to 50

The death toll from a gun attack on a mosque and homes in Katsina state has risen to at least 50, with dozens more abducted, officials and residents confirmed on Wednesday.

What began as dawn prayer in a small mosque ended in one of the deadliest attacks on a place of worship in the region. By Wednesday morning, officials confirmed that at least 50 people had been killed and around 60 others abducted after armed men stormed Unguwan Mantau, Malumfashi Local Government Area, Reuters reported.

The gunmen, riding on motorcycles, first opened fire inside the mosque during Fajr, the early morning prayer. Survivors said the attackers then moved through surrounding houses, attacking residents, setting buildings on fire, and abducting women and girls.

“They started shooting inside the mosque while people were praying,” Muhammad Abdullahi, a resident, told the news wire. “My neighbour was killed. I was lucky I didn’t come out early.”

From 13 Dead to 50

Initial reports on Tuesday had put the toll at 13 worshippers, but health workers and local officials said the numbers climbed sharply as more bodies were recovered.

Fatima Abakar, an official at the Malumfashi General Hospital, told Reuters that 27 corpses were logged at the morgue, while many others were buried quickly according to Islamic rites.

Aminu Ibrahim, a lawmaker representing Malumfashi, said at least 30 people were gunned down in the mosque and another 20 burned alive as the attackers moved through the community.

Police spokesman Abubakar Sadiq Aliyu said security forces confronted the assailants and prevented further assaults on neighbouring villages. However, he acknowledged that as they fled, the attackers “shot at residents and torched homes in Mantau.”

A “Reprisal Attack”

Katsina’s commissioner for internal security, Nasir Mu’azu, said in an earlier statement that the attack appeared to be a reprisal. Two days earlier, villagers had ambushed a gang of bandits, lynching some and confiscating motorcycles, rifles, and kidnap victims taken from nearby Ruwan Sanyi.

“The incident occurred when criminal elements launched a reprisal attack on the community,” Mu’azu said. He added that the army and police had been deployed to clear the area and restore calm.

Northwest Nigeria has endured a surge of violence from armed groups known locally as bandits, who raid villages, kidnap for ransom, and extort farming communities. Despite repeated government pledges, attacks on worshippers, schools, and highways have escalated in recent years.