Armed bandits have abducted about 40 worshippers during early morning prayers in Tuber village, Tsafe Local Government Area of Zamfara State.
Eyewitnesses said the incident occurred around 5:30 a.m. when the attackers stormed the mosque, surrounded it, and whisked away the congregants at gunpoint.
Security analyst Zagazola Makama reported that the bandits were on their way back from a peace dialogue held in Katsina when they struck, before moving the abductees deep into the Gohori forest axis of Tsafe.
The attack has thrown the rural community into fear, with residents lamenting that the incident underscores the fragility of ongoing peace efforts in the region.
“The bandits have no unified command or control. You can negotiate with some groups in Katsina, while others continue to carry out attacks in Zamfara, Sokoto, Kebbi, and Kaduna,” a local source told Zagazola Makama.
Community leaders have appealed for urgent intervention from both state and federal authorities, even as local vigilante groups have begun mobilizing to track the abductors and rescue their relations.
As of press time, the Zamfara State Police Command has yet to release an official statement on the incident. Repeated attempts to reach the command’s Public Relations Officer, Yazid Abubakar, were unsuccessful.
