Gunmen kill 9 worshipers, injure 6 in Niger – Police

The Police Command in Niger said gunmen had killed nine worshippers and injured six others in an attack on a mosque at Tungan Ba’are village in Mashegu Local Government Area of the state.

The Commissioner of Police in the state, Monday-Bala Kuryas, who confirmed the incident, said the worshippers were killed during early morning prayer on Thursday.

He said a primary school teacher was abducted by the gunmen, adding that those killed were aged between 65 and 30.

The police commissioner said the six injured persons were evacuated to Kontagora General hospital for treatment.

He gave their names as, Umaru Sahabi, Mohammed Maikasuwa, Isa Abu, Mohammed Danbarau, Mohammed Dandangi and Alhaji Dan Mairini.

“We can’t ascertain the number of victims kidnapped, as only one primary school teacher of Tungan Ba’are was revealed to be kidnapped by the armed gunmen during the incident.”

According to the commissioner, the incident might be a reprisal attack resulting from a long standing communal feud.

He said that additional armed security personnel had since been deployed to the area to track and arrest the gunmen and all other miscreants undermining peaceful coexistence among the residents.

Kuryas urged the people to support security agencies with credible information on the activities of criminals around them.

Our correspondent recalls that an attack on worshippers on Oct. 25, in a mosque at Mazakuka village in Mashegu Local Government Area, left many people dead.