Kaduna — Twenty people have been allegedly killed, while scores were injured in an early Sunday morning attack on worshippers exiting a mosque by unknown gunmen in Dogo Dawa, a village near Birnin Gwari in Kaduna State, a senior traditional title holder in Birnin Gwari emirate (name withheld) in a recorded interview with our reporter has said.

The traditional ruler said the large number of gunmen held the village under siege and opened fire on a large number of worshipers coming out of the mosque from the early morning prayers around 5:30am on Sunday.

He said the gunmen are suspected to be armed robbers who have migrated after an operation by the Zamfara State government and have established a hide out in Birnin Gwari area where armed robbery attack have of recent, been in the increase.

"We are suspecting a reprisal attack by gangs of armed robbers who lost some of their members after a recent raid of their hide out by the combined effort of the villagers and the vigilante group," he said.

The Kaduna State Commissioner of Police Olufemi Adenaike who also confirmed the incident however said he is still expecting the exact number of casualties from his men at the scene.

"I do not know where you guys got your number of casualties, but I have sent my men and they are almost there now to give me situation report," Adenaike said.
allAfrica