At least five worshippers were killed on Friday when armed bandits attacked a mosque in Yandoto village, Tsafe Local Government Area of Zamfara State, during early morning prayers.
Eyewitnesses said the gunmen stormed the mosque and opened fire indiscriminately, killing five people instantly and leaving several others with gunshot wounds. An unspecified number of worshippers were also abducted before the attackers fled into a nearby forest.
A resident described the incident as “barbaric and inhuman,” adding that the injured victims are receiving medical treatment and are responding well.
When contacted, the spokesperson for the Zamfara State Police Command, DSP Yazid Abubakar, said he was yet to receive a briefing on the incident from the Divisional Police Officer in charge of the area.
The attack comes just a week after bandits abducted about 40 worshippers during dawn prayers in Gidan Turbe, another community in Tsafe LGA.
Meanwhile, in a separate tragedy in Maru Local Government Area of the state, over 100 illegal miners are feared dead after a gold pit collapsed in Kadauri village on Thursday.
Sources said the mine caved in, trapping scores of miners underground. Rescue attempts reportedly worsened the situation, as several rescuers suffocated in the debris.
So far, eight bodies have been recovered, all identified as residents of Mekwanugga village. The victims have since been taken home for burial rites.
