Bandits Abduct Scores of Worshippers in Zamfara Mosque

Scores of worshippers were abducted by bandits in a mosque in Tsafe town, Zamfara State, during the early hours of Thursday.

According to a local resident identified as Garba, the assailants stormed the mosque around 5 a.m. as worshippers prepared for morning prayers. They forcibly herded the worshippers out of the mosque, threatening violence against anyone attempting to escape.

Garba managed to flee by jumping out of a window and seeking refuge in a nearby unfinished building. He recounted that the bandits strategically parked their motorcycles away from the town to avoid detection and approached the mosque on foot.

Witnesses estimate that more than 30 worshippers were kidnapped, as the mosque was packed to capacity at the time of the attack, leaving only a few individuals able to escape.

Community leaders, including members of the Community Protection Guards, are actively pursuing the bandits to secure the release of the abducted worshippers.

Tsafe Local Government, plagued by banditry, has witnessed a surge in criminal activities, with the Tsafe-Gusau Road becoming a hotspot for kidnappings.

Recent clashes between rival bandit groups in the area resulted in casualties, underscoring the escalating violence in the region.

Efforts to obtain a response from the state police command spokesperson, ASP Yazid Abubakar, were unsuccessful as he could not be reached for comment.