Seventeen persons have been killed and three others injured in an attack by gunmen at Maza_Kuka village in Mashegu local government council of Niger state.
Similarly about eighteen people were alleged to have been abducted during the attack.
They were killed this morning while performing Subhi prayers in the mosque.
The armed gunmen who stormed Maza_Kuka in their large number carrying dangerous weapons started shooting sporadically, killing sixteen person in the mosque, abducted some people and injured three others.
Secretary to the Niger state Government Ahmed Ibrahim Matane confirmed in a telephone interview with Radio Nigeria the killing of sixteen persons in the mosque and one person at Kaboji village. .
Ahmed Ibrahim Matane further explained that Niger state Government had already despatch a team of military personnel to the the area who were trailing the gunmen that fled to the forest.
Former member Niger state House of Assembly representing Mashegu constituency, Alhaji Abdulkarim Maza_Kuka also confirmed the unfortunate incident and called for conserted efforts to defeat banditry.
Chairman Mashegu local government council Alh Alhassan Isa Maza_Kuka who described the attack as devastating however said one of the injured person that is in critical condition has been referred to Minna General Hospital for Medical attention.
Investigation conducted revealed that Maza_Kuka and Kulhu villages in Mashegu local government council of Niger state were bordering Kianji lake forest where those those bandits are believed to have been taken advantage of the porous nature of that forest to strike at will and take cover.
Int Aliu Lawal