Five worshippers have reportedly lost their lives when armed bandits stormed a mosque in Yandoto village, Tsafe Local Government Area of Zamfara State, during early morning prayers on Friday.
The attack threw the entire Yandoto community into panic as bandits. Eyewitnesses recounted how the gunmen burst in and began shooting recklessly, cutting down five worshippers instantly and injuring several others.
According to a resident who requested anonymity over safety concerns, the attackers did not stop at the killings but also whisked away an unknown number of worshippers into the surrounding forest before making their escape.
Describing the incident as “barbaric and inhuman,” the source noted that some of the injured victims are currently receiving medical treatment and are responding well.
The spokesperson for the Zamfara State Police Command, DSP Yazid Abubakar, said he had not been briefed about the incident by the Divisional Police Officer in charge of the area as reported.
Daily Trust reported that this assault “comes barely a week after a similar incident in Gidan Turbe village, also in Tsafe LGA, where about 40 worshippers were reportedly abducted during dawn prayers.”
In a separate tragedy, over 100 illegal miners are feared dead following the collapse of a gold pit in Kadauri village, Maru Local Government Area of Zamfara State.
Sources revealed that the pit caved in on Thursday, trapping scores of miners. However, efforts to rescue those buried in the debris reportedly led to further casualties, as many of the rescuers suffocated during the operation.
Authorities confirmed that eight bodies had so far been recovered from the collapsed mining site, all of whom were residents of Mekwanugga village, where burial arrangements are already underway.
