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At least eleven worshippers were killed and dozens more injured in a horrific attack on a mosque in Kano state, northern Nigeria, on Wednesday morning.
According to Nigerian police, a 38-year-old man allegedly locked the mosque doors after dousing it in petrol and setting it alight. This trapped approximately 40 worshippers inside, many of whom were attending morning prayers.
The attack, police say, stemmed from a long-standing family dispute over inheritance.
Horrifying accounts from residents describe flames engulfing the mosque and the desperate cries of worshippers trapped within. Thankfully, neighbors rushed to the scene to help those trapped after hearing the explosion.
Rescue teams, including bomb disposal experts, were deployed, but authorities later confirmed no explosives were used.
The Kano Fire Service has come under criticism for not responding promptly. They claim they were not called until after the fire was extinguished by locals.
Police have arrested the suspect, who reportedly confessed to targeting family members inside the mosque. Local police chief Umar Sanda emphasized that the attack was not terrorism-related, but rather a “skirmish” arising from an inheritance disagreement.
The initial death toll of one has risen significantly as more victims succumbed to their injuries at the Murtala Muhammad Specialist Hospital. Several injured worshippers, including children, remain hospitalized.
Islamic cleric Sheik Dauda Sulaiman condemned the attack, calling the killing of worshippers a grave sin and urging the perpetrator to repent and offer compensation to the families of the deceased.
Nigerian Security Forces Rescue Kidnapped Students
Nigerian security forces secured the release of students abducted from Confluence University of Science and Technology on Sunday, following a shootout with the kidnappers. The operation also freed other unidentified captives held by the abductors.
According to Kogi information commissioner Kingsley Femi Fanwo, security forces engaged in a gunfight with the armed gang responsible for the Thursday night attack on the university. Local hunters familiar with the Kogi terrain were called upon to assist security forces. One security agent and one hunter sustained injuries during the operation.
The Nigerian army provided a separate account, detailing a “fierce firefight” between troops, other security agencies, and local vigilantes against the kidnappers. “The superior firepower of our troops” , the army statement said, “led the kidnappers to abandon nine of the abducted students, who were subsequently rescued.”
The number of total students abducted and the fate of any remaining captives remain unclear.
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