Gunmen kill 13 Islamic school pupils in northwest Nigeria November 07, 2023 at 12:47AM

Gunmen from criminal gangs have killed 13 Islamic seminary pupils during a ceremony celebrating the birth of Prophet Mohammed in northwest Nigeria's Katsina state, a local official said Tuesday. Katsina is one of several states in northwestern and central Nigeria terrorised by criminal gangs, locally known as bandits, who raid villages, kill and abduct residents as well as burn homes after looting them. The gangs, who maintain camps in huge forests straddling Zamfara, Katsina, Kaduna and Niger states, have been notorious for mass kidnappings of students from schools in recent years.