杏MAP导航

Agenzia Fides (Additional reporting, Vatican News).

“We respectfully ask the President to issue appropriate orders to all security agencies to decisively put an end to the unprovoked attacks against our peaceful communities,” said Mr Jobe.

Bandits struck during prayer time

The latest massacre was committed in the Unguwar Mantau Mosque, where at least 27 people were killed in the early morning hours of 19 August. According to local sources, the massacre was carried out by a group of bandits in retaliation for the killing of some of their accomplices by villagers last weekend. The bandits were about to attack the village when the residents, warned in advance, ambushed them, killing several gang members.

The bandits struck during prayer time, surprising residents. Last weekend, bombings by the Nigerian Air Force in Jigawa Sawai, near the border with Nigeria’s Zamfara State, of a criminal gang’s hideout, allowed 62 kidnapped people to escape. Many of the escapees had been captured during a nighttime raid on 11 August in the village of Sayaya by a Fulani gang.

Attack on Saint Paul’s Catholic Parish

Also on 11 August, herdsmen attacked the parish Church of St. Paul in Aye-Twar.

Last week, Chairman of the Nigerian Catholic Diocesan Priests’ Association (NCDPA), Katsina-Ala Diocese, Fr. Samuel Fila, in a statement, said that the unprovoked violent attack started on Sunday, 10 August, and continued on the 11th, resulting in the severe destruction of several facilities at the parish centre.

“The barbaric attack of 11 August 2025 has finally shut down all pastoral activities since all 26 outstations have been occupied by the armed herdsmen long before now. The malevolent attack left in its wake the desecration and destruction of the Parish Church, the destruction of the Parish Secretariat, the burning to ashes of the Father’s House, destruction of household items, pastoral logistics and vehicles, in addition to many other valuable items.

Impact on education and learning

Insecurity is having a severe impact on the state’s education system. According to a recent study by Oxford Policy Management, between 2020 and 2025, approximately 330 students were kidnapped, 14 teachers were abducted, five others were killed, and 52 schools were forced to close in the local government areas (LGAs) of Batsari, Faskari, and Kankara.

One of the causes of the insecurity plaguing Katsina State is the inadequately guarded border with Niger, which allows the passage of jihadist elements, armed gangs, and contraband goods. In the last few hours, the local customs command announced the seizure of a significant quantity of illegally imported medicines, including Tramadol, a painkiller sold in the illegal drug market.

Proliferation of criminal gangs

In Nigeria, when the term “bandits” is used, it generally refers to armed criminal gangs. Most of the so-called bandits operate in the northern region of Nigeria, but can be found in other parts as well. It is a term that is used for nefarious groups that engage in various illegal and deadly activities, including cattle rustling, kidnapping for ransom, killings, armed robbery, and attacks on villages. Bandits are known for using motorcycles to carry out their attacks and often target vulnerable rural communities. Increasingly these gangs have become more sophisticated and organised. They are now known to wield sophisticated arms. Some of the bandits are suspected of collaborating with or being influenced by jihadist groups.

Fulani criminal gangs are said to be primarily composed of individuals from the Fulani ethnic group. Another term sometimes used interchangeably is: herdsmen. Typically, herdsmen refers to criminal elements within the Fulani ethnic group who engage in violence. However, it’s important to note that not all Fulani people are bandits, and some object to the use of the term as it stereotypes the Fulani ethnic group.