Scores of worshippers have been taken captive by bandits in a mosque located in Tsafe town, the administrative centre of Tsafe Local Government Area in Zamfara State.
According to Garba, a local resident, the invasion occurred at approximately 5 a.m. on Thursday, just as the worshippers were preparing to commence their morning prayers.
Garba said, ”We were about to start the morning prayer today, Thursday when suddenly they (bandits) entered into the mosque and directed everybody to go out and follow them.
“Everybody scampered for safety but the bandits blocked everywhere and warned us that they would kill anybody who tried to run away.
“I was able to jump out of the window and ran quickly into one of the uncompleted buildings near the mosque where I hid myself.”
Garba maintained that the bandits left their motorcycles far away from the mosque so that the worshippers would not notice their movement.
“They came on foot, leaving their motorcycles outside the town so that they would not attract the attention of the people of the area.
“They later marched the worshippers to their motorcycles and took them to the forest,” he added.
According to Garba, the number of abducted worshippers could be more than 30.
He added that “the mosque was full to capacity when the bandits attacked the place and very few of us were able to escape.”
A community leader, who requested anonymity while speaking to our correspondent over the phone, revealed that members of the Community Protection Guards are actively pursuing the bandits to secure the release of the abducted worshippers.
Tsafe Local Government stands out as one of the areas in the state most severely affected by the menace of banditry.
The 56km Tsafe-Gusau Road has now emerged as the state’s most perilous zone, witnessing daily incidents of kidnappings.
In a recent clash between two rival groups, numerous bandits lost their lives within the local government.
Despite multiple attempts, efforts to obtain comments from ASP Yazid Abubakar, the spokesperson for the state police command, proved unsuccessful as he could not be reached on the phone.
