Nigeria: The attack occurred at Mazakuka village, Mashegu local government area, Niger state.
According to local authorities and police, gunmen attacked a mosque in northern Nigeria during early morning prayers Monday, killing at least 18 worshippers.
The attack occurred at Mazakuka village, Mashegu local government area, Niger state, Nigeria. The attackers, who are thought to be ethnic Fulani nomadic herders, managed to flee.
Conflict over water
A decades-long dispute over access to water and land has resulted in similar ethnic violence, which has resulted in hundreds of deaths so far this year.
Some Fulani caught up in the fighting have turned their weapons on local Hausa farming villages.
“The gunmen surrounded the mosque and began shooting people,” Alhassan Isah, chairman of the Mashegu local government area, told The Associated Press. Four other people were injured, he said.
Last attack in Nigeria
The attack was linked to a feud between villagers and Fulani herders, according to Niger police commissioner Monday Kuryas.
The current attack is another another illustration of Nigeria’s tumultuous security situation in the northwest and central areas. There has been an uptick in lethal violence in the northwest in particular.
Communities impacted
The majority of the impacted settlements are in remote locations, such as Mazakuka, roughly 270 kilometres (167 miles) from the state capital.
In some places, gunmen frequently outnumber security staff, and an insufficient police presence combined with inadequately armed security personnel frequently results in attacks that persist for hours before aid arrives.
Assailants stormed a remote area in northwest Sokoto state a week ago and operated for more than 12 hours, murdering at least 40 people and displacing many more.
Resolve the issue
Security analysts believe the government has exhibited a lack of resolve to handle the problem, in addition to enormous swaths of terrain with little or no official presence that have turned into hideouts for the assailants.
State police commissioner Kuryas confessed that the “extremely rough” terrain in Mashegu made it difficult for the police to respond quickly to the security alert in the wake of the recent bloodshed in Niger. He stated, “It is not accessible by road.” (AP)
