The Federal Government has vowed to track down and prosecute those responsible for the brutal killing of more than 50 worshippers in Malumfashi, Katsina State.
In a statement on Saturday, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, condemned the massacre, describing it as “a callous and barbaric attack on harmless citizens who had gathered in peace to worship.”
Idris said security agencies were already on the trail of the attackers and assured Nigerians that justice would be swift and decisive.
“No stone will be left unturned until they are apprehended and held accountable for their actions. The Government assures Nigerians that justice will be swift and decisive, and that such acts of terror will never be allowed to take root in the country,” the minister stated.
He further conveyed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s condolences to the victims’ families, the people of Malumfashi, and the Katsina State Government, noting that the administration shares in their grief and prays for the repose of the departed.
Reports from Malumfashi indicate that at least 50 people were killed when bandits stormed villages in the local government area last week. According to Aminu Ibrahim, the lawmaker representing Malumfashi constituency in the Katsina State House of Assembly, 30 worshippers were shot dead during morning prayers, while another 20 were burned alive in their homes.
Idris stressed that the killings occurred at a time when security forces had been making significant breakthroughs against terrorist groups. He cited the recent arrest of notorious commanders by the National Counter-Insurgency Centre (NCTC), including Mahmud al-Nigeri of the Mahmuda group, his deputy Abu Abba, and Mahmud Muhammad Usman (Abu Baraa) of the Ansaru faction, all of whom had been on the international wanted list.
“These arrests are an indication of the successes being recorded by Nigeria’s counter-terrorism operations as directed by President Tinubu, who has made it very clear that acts of terrorism against the Nigerian state and its citizens will soon be a spectre of the past,” he noted.
Reiterating the government’s commitment, Idris declared: “Those who shed innocent blood will find no hiding place in Nigeria.”
