Gunmen Kill 20 In Kaduna …As Another Bomb Rocks Maiduguri

Armed robbers opened fire on a group of people as they left
prayers at a mosque in Kaduna State yesterday, killing about 20, a military
spokesman said.

A resident reported that the gunmen were disguised in police
uniforms as they stormed the mosque in the village of Dogon Dawa just before
sunrise, shooting both those still worshipping within the building as well as
some outside.

“It is a clear case of armed robbery,” Lieutenant Colonel
Sani Usman said, adding that, “the last time I spoke with my (contact) in the
area, he said it was 20 people dead.”

Religiously divided Kaduna has seen waves of sectarian
violence in recent months.

Lt Col Usman however said that the latest attack was linked
to a running feud between a group of “bandits” and a vigilante group in Dogon
Dawa.

The thieves had tried to rob some residents earlier in the
week but were repelled, he said, adding that the robbers returned to the
village yesterday and carried out what he termed a “revenge” attack.

Asked about a potential religious element in the shootings,
he said only that “the victims were coming from prayers” at the mosque.

Meanwhile, the Joint Task Force (JTF) on Operation Restore
Order (ORO) yesterday confirmed an early morning blast along Bama road in
Maiduguri.

JTF spokesman, Lt.-Col. Sagir Musa, told newsmen in
Maiduguri that the blast did not record any casualty.