Bandits on Friday night attacked a Mosque in Saya-Saya Village, Ikara local government area of Kaduna state, killing five worshippers, a driver who brought food items to the village and one other person in a nearby village.
The second-in-command to the Kaduna State Police Command’s Public Relations Officer, ASP Mansur Hassan, while confirming the incident on Saturday, said five people were killed in the attack and two injured, adding that the attack would have been prevented if the villagers were prompt in reporting the presence of the gunmen.
It was gathered that the bandits launched the attack on the worshipers who were in the Mosque to observe their Isha’i prayer around 8:00pm on Friday.
The Village Head of Saya-Saya, Alhaji AbdulRahman Yusuf, while confirming the incident, said the bandits may have targeted the Village’s security volunteers, adding that one of those killed was the head of the village’s vigilante group.
According to him, “We suspected they traced him (vigilante boss) to the Mosque to attack him. We were inside the Mosque praying when they arrived and started shooting. Five persons were killed at the Mosque, while a driver who brought food items to the village was also killed. The other person was killed at a nearby village.”
The Village Head also said that security agencies comprising soldiers and Police from Ikara town and Falgore area arrived at the scene around 12:30am, when the bandits had already left the village.
He added that one of the victims with gunshot wounds was taken to Aminu Kano Hospital for treatment.
Meanwhile, when contacted, the Kaduna Police Command’s Acting Public Relations Officer confirmed that five people were killed in the attack, while two persons were injured.
ASP Hassan said preliminary investigation revealed that the bandits had entered the village like three hours before they eventually launched the attack.
He said, “we are not blaming anybody, but we are calling on members of the public to always and promptly report any suspicious movement in their domains to the security agencies. The information we got was that, these people (bandits) were in the village, interacting with the villagers, buying things, asking questions for almost three hours before the attack.”
He however said that, men of the Nigeria Police have been drafted to the area to comb the bush and fish out the culprits.