No fewer than five worshippers have been reported killed, and scores of others sustained varying degrees of injuries in a bandit attack on a mosque in Yandoto community, Tsafe Local Government Area of Zamfara State.
As gathered, the bandits stormed the community mosque as worshippers were preparing for early morning prayers.
In addition to the fatalities, several worshippers were abducted by the bandits during the attack which took place in the early hours of Friday.
An eyewitness said the armed men attacked the prayer ground during the Subhi prayer, opening fire on the worshippers who were caught off guard.
“We were in the middle of Subhi prayers when gunshots erupted inside the mosque. People tried to flee, but many couldn’t make it out alive,” a survivor told correspondents.
The Guild reports that Zamfara has long been plagued by armed groups who attack villages, kidnap for ransom, and raid places of worship.
The latest massacre has once again heightened fears among rural residents, many of whom say they feel abandoned by security forces.
As of press time, families of the victims are still mourning their loved ones while anxiously awaiting news of those abducted.
The state police command has yet to release an official statement, though security operatives are reportedly searching the area for the perpetrators.
