Bandits killed Sheikh Ahmad Rufa’i, the Chief Imam of the Central Mosque in Keta village, Zamfara.
This happened not long after the murder of Imam Abubakar Hassan Mada in another village in the same state.
The bandits attacked after the night prayer, called isha’i. Before the attack, people were warned about the bandits’ movement, but they still came.
An eyewitness explained that “Before the invasion, the residents were alerted about the movement of the bandits along Kwarin Gano-Keita Road. They were sighted along that road but we were not sure whether they would come to this village or not”.
“Initially, they wanted to abduct road users along the Keita-Kwarin Gano Road, but after spending some time without getting a single person, they invaded Keita village, killed our chief imam and abducted scores of people, including women”.
“We have not ascertained the number of people they have abducted as some people ran into the bush and have not been seen yet.”
The exact number of people abducted is still unknown as some fled into the bush and haven’t returned.
In another incident, two people were abducted in Magazu village in the same area. The bandits came in the early hours of the morning, shooting randomly, which caused most residents to flee their homes.
The constant threat of bandit attacks has forced residents to stop using loudspeakers for prayers in mosques, as it might attract the attention of the bandits.
When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer for Zamfara State promised to provide more information, but as of the time of writing, no details have been released.
