Soldiers, police comb Kaduna forest as bandits kill 7 worshippers in Ikara mosque

A combined unit of military and other security personnel have besieged forests in Kaduna State in search of bandits who pretended to be members of the Ikara community and killed 7 Muslim worshippers in a mosque.

The police authorities in Kaduna State have blamed the members of the Ikara community for not alerting security personnel of the presence of strange persons in their community, who were seen in the market and other places by the Ikara natives before they struck.

According to the police spokesman in Kaduna, Mr Mansir Hassan who confirmed the attack ,” police personnel were mobilised to comb nearby bushes with a view to fish out the bandits. We are calling on the public to report any suspicious movement or the presence of strange faces within their vicinities for prompt response by the force.”

The police allegedly blamed the Ikara natives for failure to inform them of the presence of the bandits in good time, so as to thwart their mission, and disclosed that “the bandits were spotted in the village on surveillance earlier in the day but none of the villagers could alert the appropriate security agency before the hoodlums struck in the night.”

“The Command is not happy with the situation. The bandits went to the village around 4 p.m., buying things from the villagers. Seeing strange faces, the villagers were supposed to communicate with the police in the area.”

“The Commissioner of Police is drawing the attention of the public that whenever they see strange faces, they should alert security agencies that are close to them. The public should assist the police in giving prompt information for quick response,” Hassan said.

The bandits killed the worshippers in a mosque at Saya-Saya Village in Ikara Local Government Area of Kaduna State on Friday night when they were performing the late-night Isha prayer.

According to a source, 5 Muslim faithful including a vigilante leader, were shot and killed by the gunmen while 2 other locals were killed by the bandits in other parts of the village.

Malam Abdulrahman Yusuf, a community leader, said the head of the vigilante group in the village was among those killed inside the mosque.

“He was trailed to the mosque where he and other victims were shot and killed. We suspected they traced the vigilante leader to the mosque to kill him. We were inside the mosque praying when they arrived and started shooting. Five persons were killed in the mosque, and a driver who brought food items to the village was also killed. The other person was killed at a nearby village,” Abdulrahman said.