Zamfara Mosque Attack: Bandits Abduct 40 Worshippers as Regional Peace Pact Crumbles
In a renewed wave of violence, armed bandits on Monday morning stormed a mosque in Gidan Turbe village, Tsafe Local Government Area of Zamfara State, abducting at least 40 worshippers during early morning prayers.
The incident occurred around 5:30 a.m., when the assailants surrounded the mosque and forcibly took the worshippers at gunpoint. Local sources said the victims were later moved into the dense forests near the Gohori axis in Tsafe LGA.
This latest attack comes just hours after a similar incident in Godai village, Bukkuyum LGA, where over 10 people were reportedly kidnapped.
The surge in abductions coincides with intensified military operations under Operation Fasin Yamma (OPFY) across the North-West, with troops said to have foiled several attacks and recovered weapons in Zamfara, Katsina, and Kebbi states.
In a related development, gunmen also kidnapped Rev. Father Wilfred Ezemba, parish priest of St. Paul’s Catholic Church, along with several unidentified commuters along the Imane-Ogugu road in Kogi State over the weekend.
Community leaders and security experts have described the Zamfara mosque attack as a clear indication of the breakdown of a recently brokered peace agreement between bandits and local authorities in the North-West.
Just weeks ago, on August 28, 2025, a peace accord was signed between community leaders and bandit groups in Kurfi LGA of Katsina State. The deal, facilitated by the Maradin Katsina and District Head of Kurfi, Alhaji Mansur Amadu Kurfi, along with LGA Chairman Babangida Abdullahi Kurfi, was hailed as a significant step toward ending years of banditry, kidnapping, and cattle rustling in the region.
The agreement, signed in Wurma forest—an area known as a security flashpoint—now appears to be under serious threat, as attacks across the region continue to escalate.
Authorities have yet to issue an official statement on the Gidan Turbe abduction, but calls for immediate intervention and strengthened security are growing louder across the affected communities.
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