Suspected Bandits Gun Down Worshippers In Mosque

An attack on worshippers in a mosque at Saya-Saya village in Kaduna state’s Ikara Local Government Area on Friday, September 1, suspected to have been by bandits, is believed to have resulted in the deaths of seven Muslims.

According to reports, the gunmen attacked the worshippers as they were performing their Isha’i (Sunset) prayers in the mosque. Five of the victims were shot dead inside the mosque, and the remaining two were killed elsewhere nearby.

Malam Abdulrahman Yusuf, the local chief, confirmed the occurrence and claimed that one of those killed inside the mosque was the leader of the hamlet’s vigilante.

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“We suspected they traced him (vigilante boss) to the mosque to attack him. We were inside the mosque praying when they arrived and started shooting. Five persons were killed at the mosque, while a driver who brought food items to the village was also killed. The other person was killed at a nearby village” he said.

Around 12:30 am, he claimed, security forces from the Palgore and Ikara towns, including soldiers and police, came on the scene, but the bandits had already fled the village.

Mansir Alhassan, the state police command’s acting public relations officer, confirmed the event and added that security personnel had been sent to the area’s bushes to look for the offenders. He claims that the attack was not reported to the police or other security organizations until the attackers had already departed the scene.