Bandits Kill Worshippers in Fresh Katsina Mosque Attack

Gunmen suspected to be bandits have killed 13 worshippers in an attack on a mosque in Katsina State, in what residents and security sources describe as a reprisal for the community’s defence efforts against armed groups operating in the area.

The attack occurred during a prayer session at a mosque in a rural community in Katsina, a state that has continued to face recurring incidents of banditry despite ongoing military operations in the Northwest.

According to a security source who spoke to reporters in Katsina, the gunmen stormed the mosque during a prayer session, opened fire on worshippers and fled before reinforcements could arrive.

The Katsina State Police Command confirmed the incident through its spokesperson, who said operatives had been deployed to the area and that an investigation had been launched.

Punch newspaper, which reported the casualty figure, said security forces have been mobilised to the affected community, with the military and police intensifying operations in the broader Katsina-Zamfara-Kaduna corridor.

Local sources told reporters that several other worshippers sustained injuries and were being treated at a nearby hospital. The community has been under repeated siege from armed groups operating across the Northwest.

The attack comes weeks after similar incidents in Zamfara and Sokoto states, where bandits raided villages and religious centres, prompting renewed calls for a more coordinated security response in the region.

Sources: Punch, Vanguard