
The Police Command in Niger said nine worshippers have been killed and six others injured by unknown gunmen in an attack on a mosque at Tungan Ba’are village in Mashegu Local Government Area of the state.
Confirming the incident, the State Commissioner of Police, Monday-Bala Kuryas, said the worshippers were killed during early morning prayer on Thursday while a primary school teacher was abducted by the gunmen during the attack.
He said those killed were between the ages of 30 and 65, adding that the six injured persons were evacuated to Kontagora General hospital for treatment.
The Police Commissioner listed their names of those injured as; Umaru Sahabi, Mohammed Maikasuwa, Isa Abu, Mohammed Danbarau, Mohammed Dandangi and Alhaji Dan Mairini.
According to him; “We can’t ascertain the number of victims kidnapped, as only one primary school teacher of Tungan Ba’are was revealed to be kidnapped by the armed gunmen during the incident.”
The Police boss however hinted that there are indications pointing to the fact the incident might be a reprisal attack resulting from a long-standing communal feud in the area.
He disclosed that additional armed security personnel had since been deployed to the area to track and arrest the gunmen and all other miscreants undermining peaceful coexistence among the residents.
CP Kuryas charged the people to always support security agencies with credible information on the activities of criminals around them.
It would be recalled that on October 25, 2021, an attack on worshippers in a mosque at Mazakuka village in Mashegu Local Government Area, left many people dead.