At least 27 worshippers were killed and several others injured when gunmen stormed a mosque during dawn prayers in a remote village in Katsina State, northern Nigeria.
The attack, which took place early Friday in Malumfashi, is part of a wave of escalating violence across northern and central Nigeria amid worsening insecurity and the growing activities of armed groups.
Meanwhile, Human Rights Watch has raised alarm over a planned U.S. arms sale to Nigeria worth $346 million, citing the military’s record of what it described as “serious human rights abuses,” including extrajudicial killings and torture.
The international rights group urged the U.S. Congress to impose strict accountability and international law compliance guarantees before moving forward with the deal.
For his part, Nigeria’s Chief of Army Staff, General Christopher Musa, denied the allegations, stressing that the armed forces place the protection of civilians as a “top priority,” even if it means incurring tactical losses in the fight against terrorism.
