Armed bandits stormed a mosque in Yandoto community, Tsafe Local Government Area of Zamfara State, on Friday morning, killing at least five worshippers and abducting several others during dawn prayers.
According to security analyst Zagazola Makama, the attackers opened fire on the congregation around 5:00 a.m., killing five people instantly before forcing an unspecified number of worshippers into the nearby forest.
The killings sparked panic across the community, with residents later gathering for the funeral prayers of the victims.
“We pray Allah to forgive their shortcomings, accept them as martyrs, and bring an end to this bloodshed in our land,” a community elder said during the burial rites.
The assault comes less than a week after gunmen abducted about 40 worshippers during dawn prayers at a mosque in Gidan Turbe village, also in Tsafe LGA.
Witnesses said the attackers surrounded the mosque at about 5:30 a.m. and marched the captives into the forest near the Gohori axis.
As of Friday afternoon, neither the Zamfara State Police Command nor local authorities had issued an official statement on the latest attack.
The incident underscores the worsening security crisis in Zamfara, where repeated assaults on rural communities, places of worship, and highways have left residents living in fear.
