Katsina State is a state in the northwestern geopolitical zone of Nigeria. It was created in 1987, when it split from Kaduna State. It had over 5,800,000 residents as at 2006. Katsina became the fifth state in Nigeria to adopt Sharia law in 2005. It the fifth largest state in the country by population, despite the fact that it ranks 17th out of 36 states in terms of area. The Hausa are the major and largest ethnic group in the state and Islamic is the most practice religion in the area. Modern Katsina is a major collecting point for peanuts (groundnuts) and for hides and skins that are sent to Kano (92 miles [148 km] southeast) for export by road and rail. In Katsina’s central market, sorghum, millet, onions and other vegetables, peanuts, indigo, goats, poultry, sheep, cattle, and cotton are traded. Nicknamed the “Home of Hospitality”, both the state capital and the town of Daura have been described “ancient seats of Islamic culture and learning” in Nigeria.

Katsina State became the chief trans-Saharan caravan centre of the Hausa states from the late 16th century and remained so until about 1815, when it was surpassed by Kano and was bypassed by new trade routes running south to the Gulf of Guinea coast. Also in the 1970s Katsina was developed as a regional education centre. It is the site of the Hassan Usman Katsina Polytechnic college (1983) and federal and Islamic teacher-training colleges. The town is located on the highway between Kano and Maradi (Niger), and it is a junction for local roads. Pop. (2016 est.) urban agglom., 505,000. Katsina’s Fulani emirs retain traditional and advisory roles and reside in the palace of the Kangiwa (“Elephant’s Head”); among the royal treasures of the palace is Gajere, a sword with a 13th-century Arabic inscription that was used in the overthrow of the Kumayo-Durbawa dynasty in the early 14th century. Associated with the town’s large central mosque is the Gobarau Minaret, a 50-foot (15-metre) tower made of mud and palm branches and probably dating from the 18th century. Most of the town’s old 13.5-mile- (22-km-) long wall is in ruins. There is a small government residential area outside the wall.

In recent years, Katsina has been one of the Nigerian states hit hardest by terrorism. In 2020, over 300 children were kidnapped by the terrorist group Boko Haram in the town of Kankara.