Jihadists Kill About 40 in Niger State Mosque Attack, Kidnapping Others During Friday Prayers
Updated
Updated · Yahoo! Voices · Aug 22
Jihadists Kill About 40 in Niger State Mosque Attack, Kidnapping Others During Friday Prayers
3 articles · Updated · Yahoo! Voices · Aug 22
Summary
Around 40 people were reported killed in Dikera village in Nigeria's Niger state after jihadists attacked worshippers just after Friday prayers and abducted others, according to survivors, a lawmaker and a medical source.
Survivors said hundreds of assailants armed with guns, knives and machetes accused villagers of not following the true teachings of Islam; nearby villages were also hit and the death toll remained unconfirmed.
A clash with a rival jihadist faction, Mahmuda, let some captives escape, while residents gave conflicting accounts over whether Lakurawa or Ansaru led the assault.
Residents said attackers returned Saturday to seize more people ahead of an expected troop deployment and planted landmines, one of which killed a fleeing man and his family.
The attack underscores how jihadist and criminal kidnappings are spreading beyond Nigeria's northeast into central and northwestern states, where overstretched security forces face overlapping insurgent and bandit threats.