Deadly Attacks Rock Katsina State: Bandits Strike During Prayer, Abduct Several Victims

In a distressing wave of violence sweeping through Katsina state, armed assailants, identified as bandits or terrorists, launched attacks on Wednesday night and Thursday morning, resulting in at least three fatalities and numerous abductions. The onslaught began with a brutal assault on Muslim worshippers during the Ishai prayer, culminating in three deaths and leaving four others injured.

A source recounted the harrowing events to Vanguard, detailing how the attackers targeted the faithful during their prayers. “The assailants descended upon our Muslim brothers during Ishai prayer. Tragically, two of them lost their lives within the mosque premises, while a third met a fatal end outside the mosque while attempting to escape the onslaught. Four others sustained injuries and are currently undergoing treatment at a hospital in Kankara.”

The violence didn’t stop at the mosque. The attackers abducted a man and two women in the same incident, with the man being killed for resisting capture. “Unfortunately, the man’s refusal to go with the assailants cost him his life as he was mercilessly butchered for daring to defy the abductors,” the source disclosed.

Another attack targeted the home of Sani Maikifi, a vigilante, in Ungwar Tudun Boka, Kankara township, around 2:30 am. While Sani narrowly escaped, his wife and son were taken. The assailants, who had been tracking Sani, managed to infiltrate the community silently, avoiding detection.

In a separate incident at around 11:30 PM on Thursday, armed men attacked Dangani in the Musawa local government area, firing indiscriminately. They were reportedly after a wealthy individual from the south visiting for a condolence visit but ended up abducting several people when they couldn’t find their intended target.