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Bandits Storm Friday Prayers in Nigeria, Kill 32 Worshippers in Sokoto Village
Gunmen tied to armed bandit gangs stormed a rural mosque during Friday prayers, torching homes and vehicles — but residents fought back, killing 13 of the attackers before it was over.
Bandits stormed the farming community of Ungushi in Sokoto State's Kebbe Local Government Area during Jumu'a prayers, parking motorcycles outside the mosque, scattering worshippers and rampaging through the town. By the time it was over, 32 residents were dead and homes, shops and vehicles had been burned to the ground.
The attackers are believed linked to Lakurawa, an armed group that has terrorized parts of northwest Nigeria in recent years. But Ungushi did not go quietly: residents fought back during the assault, which stretched into the following morning, and reportedly killed 13 of the attackers in the process.
The killings add to a brutal summer of bandit violence in Sokoto State, which has recorded more than 77 deaths in similar attacks since late June, according to local reporting. In response, the Nigerian Army has repositioned forces along the Sokoto–Kebbi border.
"From Condolences to Action"
Nigerian opposition leader and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar publicly demanded the federal government do more to stop the bloodshed. "I am devastated by the killing of 32 innocent Nigerians in Ungushi community," he said, adding that "condolences are no longer enough. How many more Nigerians must be slaughtered before this government treats the protection of human life as an emergency?"
THE FIRST DUTY OF GOVERNMENT IS TO PROTECT LIFE
Atiku called on Abuja to move "from condolences to action: strengthen intelligence, secure vulnerable communities," and treat the protection of rural civilians as a national emergency rather than a recurring headline. The federal government had not issued its own detailed response to the Ungushi attack as of publication.
Nigeria's northwest and north-central regions have struggled for years with roaming bandit gangs that raid villages, rustle cattle and kidnap for ransom, often in areas with little permanent security presence. Attacks during Friday prayers are especially devastating because they target communities at their most gathered and least defended moment of the week. Residents in Kebbe LGA say they are now bracing for further violence even as the army repositions.
No group has claimed responsibility beyond the bandit designation, and Nigerian authorities have not announced arrests connected to the attack.