At least 18 worshippers were killed by gunmen who attacked a mosque in northern Nigeria during early morning prayers Monday, local police told The Associated Press.
The horrific incident took place in Mazakuka village in Mashegu Local Government Area of Niger State. The armed men, believed to be ethnic Fulani nomadic herders, managed to escape.
This year alone, there have been multiple ethnic violence which has caused hundreds of casualties in a fight over access to water and land. Some of the Fulani have taken up arms against the local Hausa communities.
“The gunmen came around the mosque and started shooting them,” Alhassan Isah, Chairman of Mashegu Local Government Area, told the AP. He said another four people were also wounded.
Niger police commissioner Monday Kuryas said the attack was also connected to the conflict between the villagers and the Fulani herders. Nigeria’s northwest and central regions have witnessed a sudden spike in deadly violence.
Communities that are most affected are usually in hard-to-reach areas, such as the latest in Mazakuka, which is about 270 kilometres away from the state capital.
The group of armed men often outnumber security operatives in these regions. The lack of law enforcement, together with poorly armed security personnel, often results in attacks that could last for hours before help finally arrives.
Mr Kuryas acknowledged that the “very difficult” terrain in Mashegu made it even harder for the police to respond to the security alert swiftly. “It is not accessible by road,” he said.
Fulanis ar very bad set of people,