Armed Group Attacks Nigerian Mosque During Fajr Prayers: 18 Killed, 20 Injured And More Than 10 Kidnapped

JAKARTA - A number of armed men driving a motor vehicle attacked a mosque during the Fajr prayer, causing fatalities and injuries, and a number of others were kidnapped.

The attack took place at a mosque in the northern Nigerian state of Niger on Monday, October 25, according to eyewitnesses. The attackers arrived at the Maza-Kuka community in the Mashegu regional government area around 5 a.m., residents said.

"They came and went straight to the mosque and opened fire on worshipers without sparing anyone," resident Abdulganiyu Hassan told Reuters, as quoted October 26.

Hassan said they kidnapped more than 10 other people. Meanwhile, residents and another witness named Bello Ayuba said that at least 20 people were injured in the incident.

A spokesman for the Niger state police did not immediately respond to calls or messages seeking comment.

Bandits or armed gangs operating for money have kidnapped or killed hundreds of victims in northwestern Nigeria this year. Meanwhile, Niger state and local government officials also recently said that the Islamist militant group Boko Haram has taken over many communities in the state, offering villagers money and putting them in their ranks to fight the government.

Previously, Nigeria would maintain a telecommunications blackout across most of the country's northwest, to help the armed forces crack down on bandits responsible for a wave of kidnappings and attacks, a top general of the country said.

All telephone and internet services were shut down across Zamfara State in early September, and the blackout later extended to areas of Katsina, Sokoto and Kaduna states as military operations against bandits intensified.

The shutdown of telecommunications networks has made it difficult to know what is happening in the affected areas, and has disrupted daily life and business for millions of people.

"Telecommunication in the northwest was closed out of necessity. We have achieved success in this period," said Lucky Irabor, Nigeria's chief of defense staff, citing Reuters Oct. 14.

"So the shutdown will stay for as long as it's needed. The closure is more of a blessing than anything else."