ABUJA, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- The death toll of an attack by suspected gunmen on a mosque in Nigeria's northern state of Katsina early this week has risen to 32, local media reported Thursday, citing government officials.
An unknown number of people were also abducted when the gunmen attacked a mosque after invading the mainly-Muslim community of Unguwan Mantau in the state's Malumfashi local government area, during the dawn prayer on Tuesday, the Punch Newspapers, a national daily, reported, quoting Abdullahi Faskari, secretary to the Katsina State government, who led a delegation to the area on Wednesday.
The gunmen reportedly shot indiscriminately at the worshippers, killing at least 13 on the spot, according to local authorities.
Faskari told local media that the death toll had risen to 32, noting that some of the kidnapped victims were rescued by the military, who disrupted the gunmen's movement.
"Our hearts are with the families who lost their loved ones in this senseless attack. This administration remains committed to working with all security agencies to prevent such tragedies in the future," the state government's scribe said.
Nasir Muazu, commissioner for internal security and home affairs in Katsina, said the attackers were suspected to be on "a reprisal mission," noting that the locals, two days earlier, laid an ambush for bandits troubling the Unguwan Mantau community, killing "many of them."
Katsina is one of the states in northern Nigeria that has seen a high number of attacks in recent years, with women and children affected. ■
