How bandits killed 50 in my constituency – Malumfashi lawmaker

From Agaju Madugba, Katsina

More details have emerged concerning the Malumfashi Mosque killings on Tuesday morning.

An initial report indicated that bandits murdered 13 worshippers as they performed the early morning Muslim prayers at a mosque in the Anguwan Matau community, Malumfashi Local Government, Katsina State.

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

But speaking during plenary of the Katsina House of Assembly, a member representing Malumfashi Constituency, Hon. Aminu Ibrahim, disclosed the bandits killed a total of 50 villagers across some four communities in the area.

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

Witnesses 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 nearby villages of Gidan Adamu Mantau, Unguwar Yar Mai Dabo, Makera, and Burdigau, where 20 more residents were burnt alive in their homes.

Ibrahim,  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, 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.

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.