At least 17 worshippers were killed after bandits attacked two villages in Niger State.
The Secretary to the State Government, Ahmed Matane, disclosed this during an interview with Channels Television on Monday.
He said the whereabouts of about 18 villagers are unknown after the attacks.
The affected villages – MazaKuka and Kulhu villages – are located in Mashegu Local Government Area (LGA) of the state.
Matane explained that the gunmen killed 16 people in a mosque in MazaKuka and another one person in Kaboji village.
The assailants, he stated, stormed MazaKuka in large numbers with dangerous weapons and went on a rampage, shooting sporadically.
According to the SSG, the victims in MazaKuka were killed very early on Monday morning while performing Subhi prayers inside the mosque.
The wounded and the abducted persons were among the faithful observing the prayers.
Although MazaKuka and Kulhu villages are in Niger, they share borders with Kainji Lake Forest where bandits are said to have been taking advantage of the porous nature of the forest to attack innocent people at will and take cover.
