Bandits who invaded a mosque at Saya-Saya Village in the Ikara Local Government Area of Kaduna State on Friday, killed seven worshippers, Sunday PUNCH has learnt.

Our correspondent gathered that the incident happened when Muslim worshippers were observing the Isha’i (sunset) prayers at a local mosque in the area.

Our correspondent gathered that five yet-to-be-identified worshippers, including a vigilante leader, were gunned down by the hoodlums during the prayers.

“Two other victims were killed by the bandits in other parts of the village,” a source told our correspondent on the telephone.

The village head of the community, Abdulrahman Yusuf, who confirmed the incident, said the head of the vigilantes in the village was among the victims killed inside the mosque.

Yusuf said the vigilante leader was trailed to the mosque where he and the other victims were shot and killed.

“We suspected they traced the vigilante leader 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.

The acting Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Mansir Alhassan, confirmed the attack to our correspondent on the telephone on Saturday.

He said police personnel had been mobilised to comb nearby bushes with a view to fishing out perpetrators of the dastardly act

Sad

Bad