The Nigerian authorities must do more to end the almost daily bloodshed across Katsina state, as in the early hours of today, gunmen killed over 13 worshippers in a mosque at Gidan Mantau of Malumfashi LGA Katsina State, the Amnesty International has said.
In a statement on Tuesday, the rights group said “Some families of victims of the attack said the death toll is 27. The bandits also abducted women and children. The mounting death toll shows, whatever security measures put in place in Katsina state, are not working.
“Such horrific attacks are yet another indication that such rural communities now live at the mercy of gunmen — constantly bracing up for the next attack.
“The attackers stormed Gidan Mantau on motorcycles and heavily armed and went directly to the mosque and blocked the doors while firing at worshippers.
“At the peak of farming season, such attacks are displacing farmers permanently and pushing Katsina state to the brink of a major humanitarian crisis.
“The President Bola Tinubu claims has repeatedly tasked security agencies to end the killings so that such rural communities can go to bed with their eyes closed, but clearly nothing has changed.
“The Nigerian authorities’ failure to stem the violence is costing people’s lives and livelihoods, and without immediate action many more lives may be lost.”
