Suspected Lakurawa terrorists have attacked a mosque in Dadinkowa community, Maiyama Local Government Area of Kebbi State, killing six worshippers and injuring five others.
Residents reported that the gunmen surrounded the mosque during a nighttime Qur’anic Tafsir session on Wednesday evening, February 25, 2026, and opened indiscriminate fire on the congregation.
Six victims were confirmed dead and buried according to Islamic rites following funeral prayers, while five others sustained varying degrees of gunshot injuries and were rushed to nearby medical facilities for treatment.
Counter-insurgency publication Zagazola Makama described the attack as a reprisal for a foiled military ambush earlier in the week.
According to the publication, troops of Operation FANSAN YANMA “neutralised” five suspected Lakurawa members near Mayama Hill during an attempted ambush on the convoy of the General Officer Commanding (GOC) 8 Division while on an operational tour in the state.
During that encounter, troops recovered one OJC gun, one PKT gun, two AK-47 rifles, four AK-47 magazines, a bandolier of PKT ammunition, several rounds of 12.7mm ammunition, a camel bag containing ₦840,000, two mobile phones, and five motorcycles.
Kebbi State Police Public Relations Officer, Bashir Usman, corroborated the reprisal motive, stating:
“The attack was a reprisal by suspected Lakurawa terrorist elements following a failed ambush on troops attached to the 8 Division.”
The incident has heightened fears in the region amid the growing activities of the Lakurawa group in north-west Nigeria.
Just six days earlier, on February 20, 2026, suspected Lakurawa terrorists killed at least 33 residents during a series of coordinated attacks on communities in Arewa Local Government Area of Kebbi State.
Security analysts warn that the group’s increasing boldness and reprisal-style operations pose a serious threat to civilian safety, particularly in rural and semi-urban areas of Kebbi and neighbouring states. No official statement on rescue or pursuit operations had been issued by security agencies at the time of this report.
