At least 24 people have been killed and hundreds displaced after suspected members of a terrorist group stormed the rural community of Debe in Shanga Local Government Area of Kebbi State in a devastating pre-dawn attack that razed a Catholic church, a mosque, homes, and over a dozen shops striking down Christians and Muslims alike in a display of indiscriminate violence.

The early morning assault occurred at approximately 5:00 a.m. on Monday, leaving the rural community devastated as homes, a Catholic church, and several shops were set ablaze, forcing many residents to flee for safety. The Catholic Diocese of Kontagora confirmed the attack in a statement issued by its Director of Social Communications, Rev. Fr. Matthew Stephen Kabirat, who said the victims cut across religious and social lines, underscoring the indiscriminate nature of the violence.

Among the dead were five members of the Catholic community: Solomon Gyara, Amos Kagbede, John Solomon, Luka Ishaku, and Yahaya Ayuba. Two other Christian leaders — Pastor Ibrahim Mokoshi and Hassan Karaya were also confirmed killed.

The scale of the physical destruction was severe. The attackers razed the Roman Catholic Church in Debe, an outstation of Sacred Heart Parish in Shafaci under the Catholic Diocese of Kontagora, as well as the residence of the church catechist, Zakariya Sule. Many houses were destroyed during the raid, and at least 14 shops were burnt, dealing a heavy economic blow to the already vulnerable agrarian community.

Community leaders confirmed that the mosque in the village was also destroyed in the attack, underscoring that the assault targeted the community as a whole rather than any single religious group. Search and recovery efforts remained ongoing in the aftermath, with local sources warning that the death toll could rise as more victims are recovered from the ruins.

The Kebbi State Police Command confirmed the attack, saying suspected members of the Mamudawa terror group attacked Debe, Gebe, Kawara, Kalkami, and nearby villages in Shanga Local Government Area, exploiting the difficult wetland terrain to launch the assault. The Command’s Public Relations Officer, SP Bashir Usman, said the attackers set several communities on fire, resulting in multiple casualties.

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The Mamudawa is a newly identified terrorist group that has been launching attacks on communities in the Shanga Local Government Area. Reports indicate that the assailants invaded from the Wawa Forest located in Borgu Local Government Area of Niger State, a vast ungoverned area that has served as a launchpad for numerous attacks in the region.

Security forces, including police tactical teams, the military, the Marine Police, and local vigilantes, were deployed to restore calm, secure affected communities, and prevent further attacks.

The Debe massacre is the latest in a series of increasingly deadly attacks on communities in the same corridor. In early January 2026, the same Catholic Diocese of Kontagora reported a separate wave of bandit attacks across Niger and Kebbi states between December 28, 2025, and January 3, 2026, in which at least 42 men were killed after being tied and slaughtered, and an unknown number of women and children were abducted. In one attack, bandits entered a Catholic Church compound and desecrated it by destroying a crucifix and religious items.

Community leaders and residents are now mounting urgent calls for government intervention, a thorough investigation into the latest attack, and immediate humanitarian support for the hundreds of displaced families who fled the community.

The Kebbi attack adds to growing alarm over persistent armed violence across Northwest Nigeria, where rural communities largely beyond the reach of security forces and with little access to early warning systems, remain acutely vulnerable to coordinated raids by armed groups operating from dense forest hideouts along state borders.