30 Abducted Kastina Worshippers Rescued — 10 Missing, Say Police

• “I can say 10 are still missing” – Police Spokesman

30 out of the 40 worshippers abducted from a mosque by suspected bandits in Kastina state have been rescued, police in the state have said.

Recall that bandits had attacked the mosque in Jibiya where worshippers had gathered to observe Tahajjud, a midnight prayer observed by Muslims during Ramadan.

Ekohotblog reports that Some youths and vigilante groups in the town were said to have prepared to engage the bandits in the event of an attack, but the bandits used a different route to gain entry into the town.

Speaking on the development, Gambo Isah, the command’s spokesperson, said 30 of the worshippers had been rescued.

He disclosed that the rescue operation was carried out with support of the military and other vigilante groups in the state.

He, however, noted that the rescue team discovered that 10 of the worshippers were still missing after an head count was conducted.

He said the missing worshippers are with the assailant because the criminals had reached out to the families of the victims.

“Around 12:30am, gunmen armed with sophisticated weapons attacked the abattoir quarters, on the outskirts of Jibiya LGA. They surrounded a newly built mosque while people were performing Tahajjud. One of them fired a shot which made the worshippers panic,” he said.

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“Our men were alerted. The police, military, and in conjunction with different vigilante groups, we mobilised and went after the hoodlums. Luckily, we were able to rescue 30 of the worshippers, and after we conducted a headcount, we discovered that 10 are still missing.

“I can say 10 are still missing. Information at my disposal is that one of the families have been contacted by the criminals. So, in a nutshell, we can say they are presently detained in the hands of these abductors.”

Isah added that the police are making efforts to link up with the family contacted by the abductors