Gunmen Kidnap Worshippers in Nigeria Mosque Attack

Gunmen abducted 19 Muslim worshippers after attacking a mosque in the restive northwest of Nigeria, police said Sunday.

The attackers stormed the mosque in Maigamji village, in Katsina state, during evening prayers Saturday and carried out the kidnappings after shooting and wounding the imam and another worshipper, said local police spokesman Gambo Isah.

Northwest and central Nigeria have been terrorized by criminal gangs locally known as bandits, who raid villages to steal cattle, kidnap for ransom and burn homes after looting supplies.

Hostages are usually released after a ransom is paid to the gangs, which take refuge in the vast Rugu Forest. It includes four states in northwest Nigeria, including Katsina.

Police spokesman Gambo Isah says his men mobilized and went after the bandits and succeeded in rescuing six of the worshippers from their abductors, while efforts are underway to free the remaining 13.

Last month, 15 people were killed and several others wounded in a series of bandit attacks on villages in neighboring Kaduna state, say the authorities.

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari has been under intense pressure to end the violence before he leaves office next year at the end of his eight-year tenure in office.

 

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