Unknown bandits in the wee hours of Friday attacked a mosque, killing five people and abducting 20 others in Yandoto town, Tsafe Local Government Area of Zamfara.
The worshippers were said to be praying in the mosque when the assailants struck.
Speaking to DECENCY GLOBAL NEWS about the mosque killing, an indigene of Yandoto town, Shehu Garba, said the bandits, who were heavily armed, surrounded the worshipers around 5:30 am.
Garba said the attackers locked the mosque and began to shoot those inside the mosque during the morning prayers.
According to him, several other worshipers were kidnapped as many sustained serious injuries during the attack.
Garba said, “They killed five people instantly and wounded several others who are now on admission at the hospital in Gusau, the state capital. They also abducted over 20 people who are presently in their camp.”
Yandoto town, which is about 36 kilometers to Gusau, the state capital, is the home town of a prominent politician, Senator Kabiru Marafa.
All efforts to reach the spokesperson of the state police command, ASP Yazid Abubakar, were unsuccessful, as he did not respond to multiple phone calls.
The latest assault comes just days after a similar attack occurred in Gidan Turbe village in the same local government where about 40 worshippers were reportedly abducted during early morning prayers.
Earlier in July, DECENCY GLOBAL NEWS reported that 35 kidnapped victims from Banga village in Kaura-Namoda Local Government Area of Zamfara State were killed by bandits after their families failed to pay a ransom of N35m.
Tragedy also struck in Anka Local Government Area in March when six operatives of the state community protection guards, popularly known as Askarawa, along with four local vigilantes, were killed in an ambush by bandits.
The ambush occurred shortly after a joint security operation, led by the Nigerian Army, successfully targeted criminal elements in Sunke Forest.
The state has witnessed a surge in killings due to the worsening security situation.
