Forty-six residents of Zugu town in Zamfara State were Friday afternoon kidnapped from a Mosque by terrorists who had disguised as worshippers.
Eye witnesses told newsmen on phone that the terrorists actually arrived the scene pretending to pray with the residents milling around the crowd unnoticed.
While lining up to pray with other Muslim faithfuls, they hid their weapons inside their dresses so that they could penetrate properly without being noticed.
Guards of the normal mosque security were dropped down and they surrounded the mosque.
Zamfara Police spokesman
Mohammed Shehu, while announcing the dastardly act noted that “unknown number of worshippers had been abducted from Jumu’at Central Mosque in Zugu town, Bukkuyum council area which is about 170 km from Gusau.
“The Zamfara state Police Command in collaboration with military and vigilantes have dispatched our personnel for the search and rescue operation,” he said Friday afternoon.
One of the eye witnesses at the mosque said that “the gunmen hid guns under their garments, pretending to be worshippers.
“They later fired freely into the air, forcing people to run for cover, before abducting the worshippers into the Savannah.”
No pronouncements concerning ransom was made by the terrorists as at the time of filling this report.
This latest move by the bandits, sources say, may be a retaliatory action against the pounding of their hide outs in the Savannah by the Nigerian Air Force since last month which led to the elimination of dozens of them.
Zamfara State residents were recently advised by the Governor Bello Matawalle to apply for permits for weapons to defend themselves against the terrorists who were tormenting them to very dangerous levels and had turned some villages and towns to ghost arenas.