Katsina State is a state in northern Nigeria. Its capital is Katsina, and its governor is Ibrahim Shema, a member of the People's Democratic Party. In 1987, Katsina State was formed from part of Kaduna State.

The Hausa people (sometimes grouped with the Fulani as Hausa-Fulani) are the largest ethnic group.

The state is mostly Muslim, and Gobarau Minaret is an important building. Sharia is valid in the entire state. The Church of Nigeria has a Diocese of Katsina. The Redeemed Christian Church of God and the Roman Catholic Church are present in the state. Nigerian sectarian violence takes place in the state.

Of Nigeria's 774 Local Government Areas, 34 are in Katsina State. They are:

Katsina is a city (formerly a city-state), and a Local Government Area in northern Nigeria, and is the capital of Katsina State. Katsina is located some 160 miles east of the city of Sokoto, and 84 miles northwest of Kano, close to the border with Niger. As of 2007, Katsina's estimated population was 459,022. The city is the centre of an agricultural region producing groundnuts, cotton, hides, millet and guinea corn, and also has mills for producing peanut oil and steel. The city is largely Muslim and the population of the city is mainly from the Fulani and Hausa ethnic groups. The former Nigerian President Umaru Yar'Adua was a nobleman of Katsina.

Katsina LGA has an area of 142 km² and a population of 318,459 at the 2006 census.

The postal code of the area is 820.

Surrounded by city walls 13 miles (21 km) in length, Katsina is believed to have been founded circa 1100. In pre-Islamic times Katsina's semi-divine ruler was known as the Sarki, who faced a summary death-sentence if found to be ruling incompetently. From the 17th to the 18th century, Katsina was the commercial heart of Hausaland and became the largest of the seven Hausa city-states. Katsina was conquered by the Fulani during the Fulani War in 1807, becoming subsidiary to nearby Kano. In 1903 the Emir (Abubakar dan Ibrahim) accepted British rule, which lasted until Nigerian independence from Britain in 1960. Modern day Katsina has many information technology companies, providing internet access to the people of Katsina.

Ibrahim Shehu Shema is a Nigerian lawyer and politician who was elected Governor of the northern Katsina State during the 2007 general elections. He was reelected for another four year term on 28 April 2011, running on the People's Democratic Party (PDP) platform.

Ibrahim Shema was born on 22 September, 1952 at Dutsin-Ma in Katsina State. He attended Nasarawa Primary School, Katsina (1964–1971) and Government Secondary School, Kafanchan (1972–1976). He studied at the College of Arts, Science & Technology, Zaria from 1977 to 1980, when he gained admission into Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, graduating with an LLB in 1983. A year later, he obtained his B.L at the Nigeria Law School, Victoria Island, Lagos. While practicing law, he studied for a Master of Business Administration from Ahmadu Bello University, which he obtained in 1998.

Shema was the state attourney general and Commissioner for justice (August 1999 - May 2003) during Umaru Musa Yar'Adua's first term as Governor of Katsina State, after which he returned to his private legal practice in Kaduna. In January 2005, he was appointed as a member of the People's Democratic Party (PDP) Special Committee on the Anambra Crisis. He then served as the deputy national chairman (North-west zone) of the People's Democratic Party (September 2005 - November 2006), At the same time, serving as Chairman of the PDP National Disciplinary Committee, and Chairman, Governing Council, Peoples Democratic Institute. Shema also served as Chairman, National Reconciliation Committee for the South-South PDP (May to June 2006). He also served as Chairman of the Governing Board of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) from December 2005 to November 2006, when he won the PDP's ticket to contest the 2007 gubernatorial elections in Katsina State.