Gunmen with jihadist links killed at least 16 worshippers at a mosque in central Nigeria. According to Nigeria government officials, the gunmen on motorcycles stormed Maza-Kuka village in Mashegu district of Niger state on Monday and opened indiscriminate fire during morning prayers.
Sixteen worshippers were shot and killed inside the mosque while they were praying and three others sustained critical injuries as per authorities. One other person was killed in nearby Kaboji village as the gunmen fled the area.
According to authorities the region has been troubled for many years following attacks perpetrated by Boko Haram militants. The militants have been embedded into local gang groups that are involved in stealing livestock, kidnapping for ransom known locally as bandits, and have been terrorizing communities in northwest and central Nigeria where they raid villages, killing and burning homes after looting them.
The gang infiltrated by jihadists continue to wage attacks in northeast Niger state driven by financial motive. Residents in several communities in Niger state have lately reported an influx of fighters from the northeast who have been taking over remote villages. The gangs have increasingly been abducting students and schoolchildren to extort ransom from parents and authorities.
Its worrisome, that the Islamist militant groups continue to kill even their fellow Muslim while praying in Mosques.
