No fewer than five worshippers were killed and several others abducted on Friday morning when armed bandits attacked a mosque in Yandoto village, Tsafe Local Government Area of Zamfara State.
The incident occurred during the early morning prayers, with residents saying the assailants stormed the mosque around dawn and opened fire on the congregation.
“They just came in and started shooting at people who were praying,” a resident told reporters.
Five people were killed on the spot while many others sustained injuries. Witnesses said the attackers also whisked away an unspecified number of worshippers into the surrounding forests.
When contacted, the spokesperson of the Zamfara State Police Command, DSP Yazid Abubakar, said he was yet to receive a detailed briefing from the Divisional Police Officer in charge of the area.
The latest attack comes barely a week after gunmen stormed Gidan Turbe village, also in Tsafe LGA, where about 40 worshippers were abducted during dawn prayers.
Friday’s assault underscores the worsening security crisis in Zamfara, where rural communities remain under siege from armed groups engaged in killings, kidnappings, and other violent crimes.
