ABUJA, Aug. 21 — The death toll from a recent attack by suspected gunmen on a mosque in Nigeria’s northern state of Katsina has risen to 17, local police said Wednesday.
Abubakar Sadiq, spokesman for the Katsina State Police, told Xinhua via telephone that the figure increased from an initial 13 after four of the injured died while receiving treatment at a local hospital.
Authorities said the gunmen stormed the mainly-Muslim Unguwan Mantau community in the Malumfashi Local Government Area during dawn prayers on Tuesday, opening fire indiscriminately on worshipers inside the mosque.
Local media reported Wednesday that neighboring communities were also affected by the attack, with more casualties possible.
Nasir Muazu, Katsina State commissioner for internal security and home affairs, told local media Tuesday that the attackers were suspected to be on “a reprisal mission,” as locals had ambushed bandits troubling the Unguwan Mantau community two days earlier, killing “many of them.”
He added that local security agencies were deployed Tuesday morning to cordon off the area and restore order, working in collaboration with community-based security groups.
Katsina is one of the states in northern Nigeria that has suffered frequent attacks in recent years, with women and children often among the victims. (Xinhua)
