On Friday, terrorists on motorbikes stormed a Jum’at Mosque in the Zugu hamlet of the Bukkuyum district of Zamfara State, and they kidnapped a number of worshippers.
Several local sources confirmed over the phone to PREMIUM TIMES that no residents were killed by the militants throughout the lengthy attack.
The state’s police have acknowledged the kidnapping but have stated that they are unable to confirm the number of victims.
One person, Habibu Fada, was shot during the attack, which started just before the Chief Imam arrived to lead the prayer. He has been taken to the hospital.
“He was shot while trying to run away when the bandits stormed the mosque. Unknown to him they had circled the mosque. They hate it when they ask people to gather in one place and one tries to run away”, according to his brother, Sheriff Fada, who spoke to PREMIUM TIMES.
He continued by saying that after the bandits fled, he was taken to a medical centre in Gummi. Adding that, the gunmen abducted several residents, including his friends and brothers.
Yasir Sahabi, another resident, claimed that he was spared since he arrived late at the mosque.
“My friend, Usman Junaidu, has been taken by the bandits. He went to the mosque very early and I was even supposed to be with him but I don’t even know why I didn’t go as early as we used to. But while I was performing ablution to go, I heard gunshots, then saw people that had not reached the mosque, running. That was when I started running too,” claimed Mr. Sahabi.
He claimed that those taken hostage included the muazzin (the prayer caller) and the deputy chief Imam, who delivered the pre-khudba sermon.
Although the number of persons taken hostage had not yet been determined at the time of publication, a local named Bashiru Dantanin claimed that 44 residents had not been found since the raid.
The community is still accumulating the names of those missing, according to Mr. Dantanin, despite the possibility that several inhabitants fled into the jungle out of fear of being kidnapped.
He said: “So far, we’ve counted 44 people who are yet to be seen. Every family is affected in this attack.”
Mohammed Shehu, the police spokesperson in Zamfara State, acknowledged the incident but stated that neither the number of individuals taken hostage nor the location of the attack had yet been determined.
“We’ve received report of the attack and it confirmed that some residents have been abducted. The number of those taken has not been ascertained yet and we don’t know if was in a mosque or somewhere in the area but the most important thing is that there has been an attack, he said.
The command has swung into action to rescue those abducted, Mohammed added.
Areas like Bukkuyum and Gummi have been among the worst hit since January in Zamfara State, which is known as the hub of terrorism in the North-West. Similarly, suspected terrorists yesterday threw Shimfida community in Katsina State into confusion when they bombed an Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC) of the Nigerian Army escorting residents to Jibia town to buy food stuff and other essential items. Two soldiers lost their lives in the attack while four others sustained various degree of injuries.
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