Armed men suspected to be bandits have kidnapped six Muslim worshippers at a mosque in Azara community, Kachia Local Government Area of Kaduna State.
The incident happened late at night while residents were observing Taraweeh prayers as part of the ongoing Ramadan fast.
According to a resident, the attackers invaded the mosque and fired several shots into the air, causing panic among congregants before seizing four male and two female worshippers.
The source added that the assailants also broke into a nearby residence during their escape and abducted two additional individuals. However, the two victims reportedly escaped while being marched into the bush.
A community leader, who requested anonymity for security reasons, confirmed the abduction and gave the names of the six victims as Saifullahi Harisu, Yakubu Yunusa, Abba Minkailu, Yusha’u Sadiku, Maryam Abdullahi and Aisha Yakubu.
He further revealed that the kidnappers had reached out to the community and were demanding a ransom of N30m for the victims’ release.
When contacted, the spokesperson for the Kaduna State Police Command, ASP Hassan Mansur, did not respond to calls as of the time this report was filed.
