No fewer than one person has been confirmed dead and two others injured following a bandit attack on Muslim worshippers during Isha (night) prayers in Dole Moriki village, Moriki District of Zurmi Local Government Area, Zamfara State.

According to intelligence sources cited by counter-insurgency expert Zagazola Makama, the attack occurred around 8:00 p.m. on Saturday when armed bandits stormed the village and opened fire on worshippers in a local mosque.

“One person was confirmed dead at the scene, while two others sustained varying degrees of injuries as the bandits shot sporadically during the prayer session,” a source said.

Security personnel were deployed to the scene in a bid to repel the attackers and restore calm to the area.

The injured victims were rushed to General Hospital Moriki for treatment, while the deceased was released to relatives for burial in accordance with Islamic rites.

In a related development, three suspected armed bandits were neutralised and one arrested by local vigilantes working with troops of Operation FANSAR YANMA in Maru Local Government Area of the state. Two motorcycles were also recovered.

Intelligence reports indicate that the ambush took place around 3:00 p.m. on June 6, when four suspected bandits on motorcycles were intercepted by members of the local vigilante group, Yansakai, while moving between Yan Mangwarora, Mallamawa, and Kurar Mota villages in Dansadau District.

The vigilantes reportedly engaged the suspects in a shootout, resulting in the deaths of three bandits, the arrest of one, and the seizure of their motorcycles.

The arrested suspect was handed over to the police, while the bodies of the deceased were deposited at the General Hospital in Dansadau.