More details have emerged concerning the Malumfashi mosque killings on Tuesday, August 19, 2025.

An initial report indicated that bandits murdered 13 worshippers as they performed the early morning prayers at a mosque in the Unguwan Mantau community of Malumfashi Local Government Area of Katsina State.

The report was based on a government statement by the Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Dr. Nasiru Mu’azu, while reacting to the incident.

But speaking on Tuesday afternoon during plenary on the floor of the Katsina State House of Assembly, the member representing Malumfashi Constituency, Hon. Aminu Ibrahim, said that the bandits killed a total of 50 villagers across four communities in the area.

A morning of horror

He said that the attacks began during the dawn prayers at the Unguwan Mantau mosque, where 30 worshippers were gunned down in cold blood.

Eyewitnesses described how the assailants, armed with AK-47 rifles and riding on motorcycles, stormed the mosque and opened fire indiscriminately.

Following the initial assault, Ibrahim further narrated that the bandits extended their rampage to the nearby villages of Gidan Adamu Mantau, Unguwar Yar Mai Dabo, Makera, and Burdigau, where 20 more residents were burnt alive in their homes.

Security lapses and community outcry

Ibrahim, visibly shaken, expressed deep frustration over what he described as security negligence. He revealed that residents had alerted security operatives between 6 and 7 p.m. on Monday, August 18, 2025, about suspicious movements around Burdigau. However, soldiers arrived late and withdrew without securing the area. By dawn, the bandits struck.

“The situation has become unbearable. Our people can no longer live in their villages because of these relentless attacks,” Ibrahim lamented.

Abductions and displacement

In addition to the killings, 15 villagers were abducted, some surviving residents said, adding that most of the kidnapped victims were women and nursing mothers, leaving behind infants and devastated families. The affected communities lie approximately 17 kilometres from Malumfashi town, the local government headquarters.

One resident, Inusa Ladan, who participated in the mass burial, confirmed that 27 bodies were interred in the first batch, underscoring the scale of the tragedy. (Daily Sun)