By Charles Pemu 
TSAFE, ZAMFARA – In a shocking escalation of insecurity, armed bandits attacked a mosque in Gidan Turbe village, Tsafe Local Government Area of Zamfara State, in the early hours of Monday, abducting no fewer than 40 worshippers during dawn prayers.
Community sources reported that the assailants surrounded the mosque at approximately 5:30 a.m. and, at gunpoint, whisked the worshippers away into the forests around the Gohori axis. The attack follows a separate incident hours earlier in Godai village, Bukkuyum LGA, where more than 10 people were also kidnapped.
These attacks signal a significant setback to the fragile peace deals that have been recently brokered with armed groups in both Zamfara and Katsina states. A local source, a counter-insurgency expert, noted that “the bandits have no command, structure, and control. You can negotiate with bandits in Katsina while they continue to strike in Zamfara.”
In response to the escalating violence, troops from Operation Fasan Yamma (OPFY) have conducted a series of operations across the North-West, foiling several terrorist attacks and engaging with armed groups.
In Katsina State, troops ambushed a group of terrorists near Gatakawa village, recovering a motorcycle and a mobile phone. However, a separate ambush on personnel of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Danmusa Forest resulted in the death of one officer who sustained gunshot wounds.
In Zamfara, a patrol team was ambushed around the Kuka area, with two soldiers sustaining gunshot wounds while fighting their way through. They have since been evacuated to a medical facility for treatment.
Catholic Priest Kidnapped in Kogi State
The wave of kidnappings has also extended to the central region of Nigeria. In a separate incident over the weekend, gunmen abducted the Parish Priest of St Paul’s Catholic Church, Rev. Father Wilfred Ezemba, along with several commuters on the Imane-Ogugu road in Kogi State.
The abduction of the cleric is the second in the same local government area within a week. The family of a barrister who was kidnapped on September 7, was forced to pay a ransom for his release. The entire Catholic community in the area has been thrown into disarray, and while security agencies are reportedly searching the forests for the priest, his abductors have yet to make contact to demand a ransom.