People kidnapped from mosque at gunpoint, talking by phone – not ready for ransom ..

Maiduguri. A major incident is emerging from the northwestern state of Zamfara in Nigeria. Gunmen abducted dozens of people who had come to offer prayers at a mosque on Friday. This information has been given by the Nigeria Police. Armed gangs are quite active in the north-western region of the country, where they carry out extortion as well as kidnappings for ransom. Security forces present in small numbers often fail to stop their attacks.

Zamfra Police spokesman Mohammad Shehu said an unknown number of people were abducted from the Jumu’at Central Mosque in the town of Jumu’at in the Bukkuyum area, according to Reuters news agency. Jugu is located 170 kilometers west of Gusau, the state capital of Zamfara. He said that the State Police Command has sent security personnel for the search and rescue operation with the help of Army and outposts.

Ibrahim Aminu, who was present in the mosque, said that the gunmen hid their guns under their clothes and joined the people offering prayers in the mosque and pretended to be common people. He said that shortly after entering the mosque premises, he took out his weapons and opened fire in the air, prompting people to run to hide. The gunmen kidnapped dozens of worshipers and forcibly took them to an undisclosed location.

Mohammad Booker Jugu, a local citizen, said that his 22-year-old brother was also among the abducted people. The gunmen later used his brother’s phone to call him and told him to be ready for a ransom. Nigeria’s military launched air strikes last month against armed gangs known locally as bandits. Dozens have been killed in these attacks so far.

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tags: nigeria, violence, world News