The Chairman of Sabon Birni Local Government Area in Sokoto State, Ayuba Hashimu, has rejected reports circulating online that an Imam and several worshippers were killed during an alleged attack on a mosque in the council area.
Some online news platforms had claimed that armed bandits stormed a mosque in Sabon Birni, killing the Imam and congregants while abducting others.
However, speaking by telephone, the council chairman said no such incident took place.
“I don’t know any mosque that was attacked, not to talk of killing of an Imam and worshippers. The story is false,” Hashimu said.
Similarly, a member of the state legislature representing the area, Hon. Aminu Boza, also dismissed the account, stressing that there was no mosque attack on Saturday.
“I don’t know how they got their story, but it is not true. No mosque was attacked by bandits,” he said.
While the officials denied the alleged mosque incident, a separate early morning raid on Gatawa town within the same local government area resulted in five deaths and left one person critically wounded.
A resident, who requested anonymity, told Daily Trust that six people—including two married women, two teenage girls and two young boys—were taken away by attackers suspected to be bandits.
“The bandits invaded our community around 1:30 a.m. and started shooting sporadically. Our vigilantes engaged them, but four of them paid the supreme price on the spot. Two others sustained gunshot injuries and were taken to the hospital, but one later died,” the resident recounted.
He further stated that the attackers carted away livestock before fleeing.
“We heard them exchanging fire with security agents, but none of the abducted persons was rescued,” he said.
(DAILY TRUST)
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