Gunmen storm mosque, kidnap 10 worshippers in Nigeria

By Ibrahim Garba Shuaibu

KANO, Nigeria (AA) - At least 10 people, including women and children, were abducted by unknown gunmen from a mosque at Kwata community in Nigeria’s Katsina state on Monday, police said.

Talking to Anadolu Agency over phone, Katsina state police spokesman Gambo Isah said heavily armed gunmen attacked the mosque at around 2:00 a.m. local time (0100GMT) and kidnapped 40 people busy in midnight worship (special night prayers during Ramadan).

Isah said 30 of the abducted persons have been rescued, while efforts are on to recover the remaining 10, adding the gunmen might have taken them to Rugu Forest.

The dreaded Rugu Forest serves as a hideout for bandits terrorizing Katsina, Zamfara and Kaduna states and spans over 220 kilometers (137 miles), stretching from the Niger Republic and spreading into a substantial part of Katsina state of Nigeria.

The council area, located close to the Rugu Forest, has experienced frequent attacks and kidnapping in the recent past.

Last week, bandits abducted dozens of travelers and killed a journalist, Ibrahim Dankabo. A cameraman with the Information Unit of the council area, Dankabo was trying to save a woman who was being kidnapped when he was shot dead.

Last month, a mob also lynched three suspected bandits in the area.