Bandits attack mosque, kill 1, abduct 9 in Kaduna

Bandits have abducted nine farmers and attacked a mosque in separate incidents in Kaduna State, leaving one person dead and three others injured. In the first incident, six farmers were abducted on Monday while working on their farms in Abashiya near Iburu Village, Kufana District of Kajuru Local Government Area. A community leader said the attackers initially abducted nine persons but released three who sustained injuries during the operation. The leader, who spoke anonymously, said the farmers were attacked around noon while tending to their farmlands. He noted that no contact had yet been made with the families of the victims and called on security agencies to act urgently to secure their release and prevent further attacks. In a separate incident on Sunday night, suspected bandits stormed a mosque in Unguwar Namama village, Kaya area of Giwa Local Government Area, killing a worshipper, injuring two others and abducting three residents during evening prayers. Eyewitnesses said the attackers arrived on motorcycles and opened fire on worshippers during Maghrib prayers, causing panic in the community. A community leader confirmed that one person died inside the mosque while two others sustained injuries. A source linked the attack to a possible reprisal following a recent military operation in which troops reportedly killed several bandits in the area. The spokesperson of the Kaduna State Police Command, DSP Mansir Hassan, confirmed both incidents, saying security agencies had launched efforts to rescue the abducted victims and restore calm in the affected communities. He said the mosque attack occurred while worshippers were observing prayers between Maghrib and Isha and noted that the affected communities share borders with Katsina State, requiring coordinated security operations. Hassan assured residents that efforts were ongoing to track the perpetrators and urged communities to continue providing credible information to support security operations against banditry in the state.