Mosque attack in Nigeria’s north injures at least 24 people, including children

At least 24 worshippers, including four children, sustained injuries in an attack on a mosque in northern Nigeria’s Kano state early Wednesday morning, resulting in an explosion, as reported by the police.

The perpetrator, a 38-year-old local resident, confessed to targeting the mosque in Kano’s remote Gadan village due to longstanding family discord, according to police spokesman Abdullahi Haruna.

The incident sparked panic in Kano, the largest state in northern Nigeria, which has experienced sporadic religion-related tensions over the years, occasionally escalating into violence.

Haruna stated that initial forensic assessments indicated a gasoline explosion, but a comprehensive investigation is ongoing. Meanwhile, the police have sealed off the area while the injured have been transported to a hospital in the state capital.

According to The Daily Trust newspaper, worshippers were trapped inside the mosque during the explosion, complicating their escape. The suspect had previously engaged in violent confrontations in the locality over the same family dispute.

"The motive stemmed from a dispute over inheritance, with individuals he accused of mistreatment present in the mosque at the time, intending to draw attention to his grievances," the police statement clarified.