BIRNIN KEBBI, Nigeria — Suspected Lakurawa militants attacked a mosque in Dadinkowa community, Maiyama Local Government Area of Kebbi State, killing at least five worshippers and injuring three others in what police said was a reprisal attack after troops foiled an earlier ambush on the convoy of a senior army commander. Some local accounts put the death toll at six.
Kebbi police spokesperson Bashir Usman said the gunmen struck on Wednesday evening while worshippers were praying. He said the assault followed a failed attack on troops attached to 8 Division of the Nigerian Army. According to Usman, security agencies believe the mosque shooting was retaliation by suspected Lakurawa elements after their earlier operation against the military convoy was repelled.
The chain of events began on February 24, when the convoy of Major General Bemgha Koughna, General Officer Commanding 8 Division and Commander of Sector 2, Operation FANSAN YAMMA, came under heavy gunfire near Maiyama Hill in Kebbi State, according to police accounts and earlier reporting. Troops returned fire, fought off the attackers and killed five suspected militants, preventing the ambush from succeeding.
Police initially said five worshippers died in the mosque attack, while three others were taken for treatment. But local sources quoted by Vanguard said six people were ultimately buried, suggesting the toll may have risen after the first official statement. The latest killings deepen fears over the spread of Lakurawa-linked violence in northwestern Nigeria. Reuters reported last week that suspected Lakurawa militants killed 34 people in coordinated attacks on rural villages in Kebbi State, highlighting the group’s growing threat in Kebbi and Sokoto.
The mosque attack is especially alarming because it targeted civilians gathered for prayer during the fasting period, underscoring how reprisals are increasingly hitting soft targets. Authorities have not announced any arrests, and it remains unclear whether additional security reinforcements have been sent to Dadinkowa and surrounding communities.
