Gunmen attack mosque in Kaduna village, kill seven

Gunmen have attacked a mosque in Kaduna State, killing seven worshipers and inflicting serious bullet wounds on two others.

Acting Public Relations Officer of the State Police Command, Mansir Alhassan, who confirmed the attack, said security personnel have since been mobilised to nearby bushes to track and smoke out the perpetrators.

According to him, the police and other security agencies were not informed early on the attack until after the attackers had left the scene.

Alhassan urged members of the public to always report suspicious movement within their communities to nearby security agencies at the right time.

According to the eyewitness account, the gunmen stormed the mosque located in Saya-Saya village, Ikara Local Government Area of the state.

Five of the victims were gunned down in the mosque, while the remaining two other victims were killed at different locations within the area.

The incident happened around 8pm when the villagers were performing Isha’i (Sunset) prayers at a local mosque, according to local sources.

An account claimed that two other villagers who sustained gunshot wounds were rushed to the hospital for treatment.

Reacting, Village Head, Malam Abdulrahaman Yusuf, confirmed the incident, saying the leader of the vigilante in the community was among the victims killed inside the mosque.

“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.

Yusuf said security agencies comprising soldiers and police from Ikara town and Palgore area arrived at the scene around 12:30am, but by then, the bandits had already left the village.

According to him, one of the victims with gunshot wounds was taken to Aminu Kano Hospital for treatment.