No fewer than five worshippers were killed and several others abducted on Friday morning when armed bandits stormed a mosque in Yandoto village, Tsafe Local Government Area of Zamfara State, during early morning prayers.

Residents said the gunmen invaded the mosque while prayers were ongoing and opened fire indiscriminately, killing five people instantly and injuring many more.

According to a resident, the bandits came around dawn and started shooting at people praying.

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The assailants were said to have also abducted an unspecified number of worshippers before retreating into the surrounding forests.

When contacted, the Zamfara State Police Command spokesperson, DSP Yazid Abubakar, said he had not yet been briefed on the incident by the Divisional Police Officer in charge of the area.

The attack is the latest in a series of assaults targeting places of worship in Tsafe LGA. Barely a week ago, gunmen stormed Gidan Turbe village, also in Tsafe, abducting about 40 worshippers during dawn prayers.

READ ALSO:Bandits Invade Kwara Community, Kill One, Kidnap Eight Others

Meanwhile, in a separate tragedy in the state, over 100 illegal miners are feared dead after a gold pit collapsed on Thursday in Kadauri village, Maru LGA. Witnesses said the pit caved in, trapping scores of miners.

Efforts to rescue those buried reportedly led to more casualties, as some of the rescuers suffocated in the process. At least eight bodies have so far been recovered and returned to their community in Mekwanugga village for burial.

Both incidents underscore the deepening security and safety challenges in Zamfara, where armed violence and economic desperation continue to take a heavy toll on rural communities.

A three-storey building with four suspended floors located behind the Anambra State House of Assembly, off Ekwueme Square, Okpuno Awka, the Anambra State capital, has collapsed.

It was gathered that the building, still under construction and at the roofing stage, suddenly caved in at about 11:40 am on Thursday.

The development threw residents and passers-by into panic as it was gathered that some yet-to-be-identified number of occupants, especially construction workers, were trapped in the rubble.

Eyewitnesses near the scene said the structure suddenly caved in without any prior sign, adding that the number of workers and other occupants trapped could not be ascertained yet.

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The cause of the collapse and casualty figure has yet to be ascertained, but some officials from the state Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria and the materials testing department are already on the ground to ascertain the cause of the collapse.

A visit to the scene of the collapse, it was observed as some bystanders and other passers-by initiated some rescue efforts in a bid to see if anyone trapped could be rescued.

It was a chaotic situation at the scene as rescue efforts were being hampered by a lack of logistics and other necessary equipment, such as excavators.

One of the eyewitnesses at the scene said, “The building collapsed this morning(Thursday) as some artisans were carrying out some construction works at the roof of the structure.

READ ALSO:VIDEO: Fire Guts High-rise Building In Lagos, Occupants Trapped

“The building made some noise as it was collapsing while some construction workers were at the site. No one can say the cause of the collapse for now, but some government officials arrived at the scene shortly after, but rescue efforts have not begun, as they said they were waiting for excavators to arrive.”

The Chairman, COREN-ERM Anambra State, Sir Victor Meju, said, “It was a five-storey building, the sixth floor still under construction at its roofing stage. It is a private building. It was gathered that the structure was roofed last Thursday.

READ ALSO:Two Bodies Recovered From Yaba Building Collapse

“On-site preliminary investigation revealed that it was a vertically complete collapse to the rubble. On-site preliminary investigation also revealed that the collapse occurred as a result of a poor concrete mixture and a likely foundation problem.

“The relevant agencies, such as the Ministry of Housing and the Awka Capital Territory Development Association, have been notified, and they are on the ground to monitor and offer rescue operations.”

However, when contacted on the development, the Spokesman for the Anambra State Police Command, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, said he was not aware, but promised to make enquiries and get back.
(PUNCH)

The Kwara State Police Command has rescued a woman, Afusatu Alhaji Ladan, and her nine-month-old baby, Usman, alongside five other victims from kidnapper’s den after a gun battle with bandits in a forest near Owa-Onire, Ifelodun Local Government Area of the state.

The victims were freed on Wednesday following a joint operation by operatives attached to the Office of the National Security Adviser, police officers, and vigilante members, according to the state Police Public Relations Officer, SP Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi.

The spokesperson who confirmed the development in a statement made available to Punch Online, on Thursday, said the rescue followed sustained search-and-rescue operations launched in response to recent abductions in the state.

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“During the operation, security operatives encountered armed resistance from the kidnappers, leading to a fierce gun duel. The criminals were forced to abandon their hostages and escape deeper into the forest, while all seven victims were safely rescued,” she said.

The PPRO added that a vigilante member sustained gunshot injuries during the encounter but is responding to treatment.

Other rescued victims include Adam Khadijat, 23; Mamud Miriam, 24; Mumini Ahmed, 17; Hamadu Haruna, 44; and Abibat Umaru, 16.

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Items recovered from the bandits’ hideout include three motorcycles and nine empty magazines of AK-47 rifles.

Ejire-Adeyemi further said the rescued victims had been debriefed and reunited with their families, adding that the Commissioner of Police, CP Adekimi Ojo, commended the gallantry of the security team.

She quoted the CP as saying, “The Command, in synergy with other security agencies, will sustain aggressive onslaughts against criminal hideouts until perpetrators of kidnapping and banditry are brought to justice.”

READ ALSO:Bandits Invade Kwara Community, Kill One, Kidnap Eight Others

The command urged residents to remain calm but vigilant and to provide timely and credible information to aid ongoing operations.

On June 22, 2025, PUNCH Online reported that Troops of the 22 Armoured Brigade, deployed at the Forward Operating Base in Patigi, Kwara State, arrested eight suspected kidnappers and rescued two victims during a coordinated operation.

The military also recovered two motorcycles and two expended cartridges from the suspects, believed to be part of a kidnapping gang operating in the area.

READ ALSO:Bandits Invade Kwara Community, Kill One, Kidnap Eight Others

According to a statement released by Lt. Stephen Nwankwo, Acting Assistant Director of Army Public Relations for the 22 Brigade, the operation was launched based on credible intelligence.

“Acting on credible intelligence, troops launched a tactical operation on Saturday, 21 June 2025, targeting a hideout on the outskirts of Latandaji Village, Patigi Local Government Area,” the statement read.