13 Nigerian Islamic School Students Brutally Murdered

Nigerian authorities said on November 7 that criminal gangs killed 13 students from an Islamic school during a ceremony to celebrate the birth of the Prophet Mohammed on November 5 in the northwestern state of Katsina.

Several gunmen on motorbikes attacked Kusa village in Musawa district and opened fire on a crowd of school children causing serious casualties.

In addition to the students killed, 20 others were injured.

The militia then prevented the attackers from kidnapping the students.

Katsina is one of several states in northwestern and central Nigeria that have been regularly targeted by criminal gangs that have attacked villages, killing and kidnapping people.

The gangs, which are based in vast forests spanning Zamfara, Katsina, Kaduna and Niger states, have carried out mass kidnappings of schoolchildren in recent years.

Violence in northwestern Nigeria has its roots in conflict between nomadic pastoralists and settled farmers over land and resources, but has morphed into broader criminal activity.

In December 2020, a gang kidnapped 80 students from an Islamic school. Police rescued them after a gunfight.

Banditry and kidnapping are just some of the challenges facing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who took office in May pledging to tackle insecurity from criminal gangs, jihadists and other armed groups.