The death toll from gun attacks in northwestern Nigeria has climbed to 50, following a deadly assault on a mosque and nearby villages in Katsina state, officials confirmed Wednesday.
According to state lawmaker Aminu Ibrahim, the violence began during morning prayers on Tuesday when gunmen stormed the mosque in Unguwan Mantau town. “The bandits killed 30 people and burnt 20 others during attacks on several villages,” Ibrahim reportedly told the state parliament. Earlier reports had placed the number of dead at 13 inside the mosque alone.
Authorities say no group has yet claimed responsibility. Security officials suspect the violence may have been sparked by a retaliatory motive. Nasir Mu’azu, Katsina’s state commissioner, explained that gunmen often exploit the rainy season by hiding among tall crops before striking. He added the mosque killings were “likely in retaliation for a raid by Unguwan Mantau townspeople over the weekend in which several gunmen were ambushed and killed.”
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Clashes between farming communities and herders are a recurring source of bloodshed in northwestern and north-central Nigeria. Farmers accuse herders, largely of Fulani background, of allowing cattle to destroy crops, while herders argue the land has long been recognized as grazing routes under a law dating back to 1965, shortly after independence.
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The unrest has grown deadlier in recent years as more herders have taken up arms. Just last month, violence in Nigeria’s north-central region left at least 150 people dead.
The fragile security situation has also been compounded by the presence of dozens of armed groups that exploit gaps in policing to raid villages and highways across the region. Beyond these local conflicts, Nigeria continues to grapple with the Boko Haram insurgency in the northeast, where UN figures estimate 35,000 civilians have been killed and more than 2 million displaced since the insurgency began.
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