At least five muslim worshippers were reportedly killed on Friday when armed bandits stormed a mosque in Yandoto village, Tsafe Local Government Area of Zamfara State, during early morning prayers.

According to Daily Trust, eyewitnesses said the attackers opened fire indiscriminately, killing five people instantly and injuring several others.

A resident, who pleaded anonymity for security reasons, revealed that the bandits also abducted an unspecified number of worshippers before escaping into a nearby forest.

Describing the incident as “barbaric and inhuman,” the source added that some of the injured victims were already receiving treatment and responding to care.

Naijaonpoint understands, however, that no security operative has yet issued official statement regarding today’s attack.

When contacted, the spokesperson for the Zamfara State Police Command, DSP Yazid Abubakar, told journalists that he had not yet been briefed about the incident by the Divisional Police Officer in charge of the area.

The assault comes barely a week after a similar attack in Gidan Turbe village, also in Tsafe LGA, where about 40 worshippers were abducted during dawn prayers.

In a separate tragedy, over 100 illegal miners are feared dead after a gold pit collapsed on Thursday in Kadauri village, Maru Local Government Area.

Residents disclosed that the pit caved in, trapping scores of miners underground. Rescue efforts reportedly worsened the situation as many of the rescuers suffocated in the process.

So far, eight bodies have been recovered, all identified as residents of Mekwanugga village. The corpses have since been transported back to their community for burial rites.