By Princess Simon (Bureau Chief North Central, in Minna)
No fewer than 18 persons have been reportedly killed early Monday morning, October 25, 2021, when armed men with dangerous weapons including guns, invaded a mosque, leaving several others injured at Maza-Kuka in Mashegu Local Government Area of Niger state.
The armed men in their numbers had stormed Maza-Kuka, went straight to the mosque as the victims were performing morning prayers (Subhi) and attacked them with their dangerous weapons that included knives and other sharp objects.
Sources from the area said the attackers had shot sporadically into the air to scare away possible intruders before taking on their victims at closed range inside the mosque while others scampered for safety with several degrees of injuries.
The armed men came into the town in a convoy of several numbers of motorcycles to carry out the attack on the villagers, an indigene of the area who pleaded anonymity had told journalists. “We were taken unawares, still confused and shocked over the attack.
Though the actual number of casualties could not be immediately ascertained, the source added that, while the attack was on-going, some villagers in the ensuing confusion ran into the bushes and many have as well died of injuries.
“So far, we counted about 17 to 18 corpses”, adding that the "local government Chairman and his team were already on assessment tour of the community to sympathized with the families of those that lost their loved ones".
The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Niger state Command, DSP Wasiu A. Abiodun, could not confirm the attacks as his phone number could not be reached as at the time of filing the report. NNL.
