A large number of bandits invaded a mosque at Saya-Saya village in Ikara local government area of Kaduna State and killed seven worshippers on Friday night, according to information gathered yesterday.
The attack took place when the Muslim worshippers were observing their Isha’i (sunset) prayers in a mosque in the area.
Sources in the village said five worshippers including a vigilante leader were killed by the bandits in the mosque during the praying session.
Two others were killed in other parts of the village, the source said.
The village head, Abdulrahman Yusuf, said the head of the vigilante group in the village was among the victims.
He said the vigilante leader was trailed to the mosque.
“We suspect they traced him to the mosque to attack him. We were inside the mosque praying when they arrived and started shooting. Five persons were killed in 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 added that security had been beefed up in Ikara following the attack.
He said one of the victims with gunshot wounds was rushed to the Aminu Kano Hospital in Kano and is responding to treatment.
“Security agencies comprising soldiers and police from Ikara and Palgore arrived at the scene around 12:30 am, by the time they came, the bandits had already left,” he added.
A witness, Mr Ikara confirmed the death of the victim with a gunshot wound, he said, “They killed six people inside the mosque, and the seventh victim died at the Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, in Kano State, before being attended (to) by a medical doctor”.
Acting police spokesman of the Kaduna State Police Command, Mansir Alhassan, said yesterday that a police team had been mobilised to get the perpetrators.
Alhassan urged the public to report any suspicious movement or the presence of strange faces within their vicinity for prompt response.
He blamed the incident on community members who failed to inform the police of the presence of bandits in good time.
According to him, the bandits were spotted in the village on surveillance earlier in the day but none of the villagers could alert security agencies before they struck.
“The command is not happy with the situation,” he said, “The bandits went to the village around 4 pm, buying things from the villagers. Seeing strange faces, the villagers were supposed to communicate with the police in the area.
“The commissioner of police is drawing the attention of the public that whenever they see strange faces, they should alert security agencies that are close to them.
The public should assist the police with prompt information for quick response”.
