Bandits kill seven in Mosque in northern Nigeria

Bandits raided three villages in northern Nigeria’s Zamfara state on Saturday, leaving seven people dead and seven in hospital, an official said.
The area sees frequent clashes between criminal gangs and vigilante groups.
“A group of gunmen launched coordinated attacks on neighbouring Makera, Azuko and Usu villages and killed seven people,” state communications director Ibrahim Birnin-Magaji told AFP.
“Seven people were also injured in the attack and are receiving treatment in hospital.”
He added: “The gunmen opened fire on worshipers in mosques shortly before the morning prayers around 5:30 am.”
Makera resident Aliyu Sahabi said a vigilante group pursued the assailants and its leader and his son were killed in an exchange of fire.
A nurse in a nearby public hospital confirmed that its morgue had taken in seven cadavers with bullet wounds.
In October, bandits killed 20 people in another Zamfara village, grabbing money and property as they fled.
But Birnin-Magaji said the assailants did not steal anything in Saturday’s raids.
“It was sheer barbarism and murder with no purpose other than to kill, because they did not ask for money and did not take anything from the villages they attacked,” he said.
The rise of vigilante groups in response to banditry has caused a spiral of violence in the region.
Last June, robbers killed 23 people in the region, including some who had their throats slit.