The death toll from coordinated attacks on villages in Katsina State has climbed to at least 50, after a state lawmaker revealed that 20 people were burned alive in addition to 30 others killed while observing dawn prayers.
Hon. Aminu Ibrahim, who represents Malumfashi constituency in the Katsina State House of Assembly, told his colleagues during Tuesday’s plenary that the killings had left entire communities devastated.
“Thirty were killed while praying. We discovered another 20 burnt in their homes. Our people cannot live like this,” he said.
The attackers struck Gidan Adamu Mantau, Unguwar Yar Mai Dabo and Makera in Karfi ward, as well as Burdigau in Yaba ward. According to Ibrahim, residents had issued distress calls on Monday evening but security forces failed to arrive before the assaults.
The state government confirmed the scale of the killings during a condolence visit to the affected communities, led by Secretary to the Government Abdullahi Garba Faskari, who described the assault as “a deeply painful and heartbreaking tragedy.”
Acting Governor Faruk Lawal Jobe, during a meeting with the Chief of Defence Staff, called for stronger military support, warning that rural communities remain under siege despite ongoing operations in the region.
