Tension as vigilantes ‘mistakenly’ open fire on Nigerien troops in Katsina

Local vigilantes in Katsina “inadvertently” opened fire on aconvoy of four gun trucks and a Toyota SUV carrying Nigerien military officers. The soldiers had entered Mazanya village, Jibia LGA, inKatsina on Saturday at about 2:00pm to fetch water, when the incident occurred. The large convoy, which was on “a routine cross-borderactivity”, raised suspicion from community residents and vigilance groups. The vigilantes, mistaking the uniformed Nigerien troops forbandits, reportedly opened fire, triggering a brief exchange. In a statement on Monday, Michael Onoja, the director ofdefence media operations at the Defence Headquarters, said the Nigeriansecurity authorities and the Nigerien commander on the ground resolved themisunderstanding. He said the Nigerien troops were eventually allowed tocomplete their water-fetching mission and return to their side of the border. “The DHQ wishes to officially address and clarify thecircumstances surrounding the border incident involving Nigerian localvigilante elements and Nigerien troops at Mazanya village in Jibia LocalGovernment Area of Katsina State on November 29, 2025, at approximately 1500hours,” he said. “This statement aims to correct misinformation, reassure thepublic, and highlight ongoing efforts to strengthen cross-border coordinationwith the Republic of Niger in order to prevent similar occurrences in thefuture. “A convoy consisting of four gun trucks and one Toyota Jeepcarrying Nigerien military officers and soldiers entered Mazanya community tofetch water — a routine activity historically conducted by troops from theNiger Republic.” Onoja added that the DHQ convened a joint border securitymeeting on December 1 to strengthen liaison arrangements between bothcountries. “Nigeria and Niger share long-standing cultural, economic,and security ties, and both nations continue to collaborate closely inaddressing common challenges such as terrorism, smuggling, illegal migration,and other transborder threats,” he said. “The DHQ assures the public that lessons drawn from theincident are being taken seriously and that concrete measures are alreadyunderway to ensure such misunderstandings do not recur. “Residents of Mazanya, Jibia LGA, and other bordercommunities are urg

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