On Wednesday, suspected members of the Lakurawa terrorist group launched a deadly assault on worshippers at a mosque in the Daɗin Kowa area of Maiyama Local Government Area, Kebbi State, leaving at least four people dead and several others injured.
Sources revealed that the attackers surrounded the mosque during a night-time Qur’anic Tafsir session and opened fire on the unsuspecting congregation. The attack has left the community in deep mourning and heightened fear, with residents condemning the act as a senseless attack on innocent people in the midst of the holy month of Ramadan.
As of the latest update, neither the state government nor law enforcement agencies have released an official statement regarding the incident. Attempts to reach Bashir Usman, the police spokesperson for Kebbi State, for comments on the attack have been unsuccessful, with calls going unanswered.
This attack follows a deadly raid by suspected members of the Lakurawa group in the Arewa Local Government Area of Kebbi just a week ago, which claimed the lives of 34 people, including 23 youths. There has been a noticeable rise in violence in the region, with terrorists increasingly targeting mosques, residential areas, burning homes, looting valuables, and displacing entire communities.
The Lakurawa group, an extremist faction with connections to Sahelian terrorist organizations in Niger and Mali, has been linked to the surge in insecurity in North-western Nigeria, especially in Kebbi and Sokoto states.
The region’s instability was further underscored by an ambush on February 23 targeting a high-ranking military official’s convoy in Kebbi. Although the commander survived, the ambush resulted in casualties among the assailants, and weapons were recovered from the scene.
The ongoing violence continues to undermine peace efforts and exacerbate the dire security situation in the area.