By Suleiman Anyalewechi
The International Human Rights Advocacy and Awareness Centre IHRAAC has called on all relevant authorities to deploy all necessary steps to rescue several worshipers alleged to have been abducted early Tuesday morning at a mosque in Gusau the capital of Zamfara State.
In yet another display of braggadocio and unbridled audacity some elements suspected to be bandits had on Tuesday, April 2, 2024, allegedly stormed a Gusau popular Mosque at about 2 am and abducted a large number of Muslim faithful, observing the tahajjud ( midnight) prayers, a development which has since heightened tension, anxiety and security concerns in the already beleaguered state.
But it is an incident the Zamfara State Police Command has dismissed as not true.
Although efforts are said to be ongoing to rescue the kidnapped victims, the IHRAAC has demanded an urgent action from authorities at all levels to secure the safe release of the worshipers.
This is even as the international human rights body has strongly condemned the abduction which it descrbed as barbaric and inhuman.
In a statement on its official site ,IHAAC called on the Government to swiftly deploy security and other relevant personnel to free the kidnapped victims.
It also demanded heightened security measures around worship centres, schools, public institutions and other vulnerable spots in the country,with a view to halting the spate of attacks and abductions of innocent people.
It has also called for the institutionalization of a robust intelligence gathering network ,comprehensive support for victims of abduction, and strengthening of the country’s security architecture as some of the veritable means of curtailing the activities of bandits ,kidnappers and other criminal elements ,who are strongly believed to be at the root of the upsurge in insecurity particularly in the Northern Region of Nigeria.
While standing in solidarity with Zamfara people, families and loved ones of the victims,IHAAC reaffirmed its commitment to advocating for the safety and rights of the people.
But in a swift reaction, the Zamfara Police Command said that reports of a purported abduction of Muslim worshipers at a Mosque in Gusau, the state Capital ,early Tuesday morning are false.
Earlier reports had suggested the kidnap of a large number of Muslim faithful observing Tahajjud ( midnight prayers ) at about 2am on Tuesday April 2 2024 at a popular Mosque in the state capital by suspected bandits .
But a statement issued by the Command Spokesperson Yazid Abubakar, ASP, the Police said that the bandits rather came to kidnap one Ashiru, a businessman resident in the area, who was later killed by the suspected bandits for resisting to be abducted.
According to the Zamfara Police, the deceased’s wife and a male neighbour of Ashiru were taken away by the suspected bandits to an unknown destination.
The Police said although worshipers were not the target and were never attacked, they scampered to safety due to sporadic gunshots ,adding that many worshipers ran and escaped through various directions.
The Police authorities however, said they have commenced moves to track down the perpetrators ,and to ensure the rescue of the two kidnapped victims,
The Police also cautioned the people against the dissemination of fake news ,which it said tends to escalate the security challenges in the state.
Meanwhile, the Zamfara State Government has imposed a partial curfew on some parts of the State to stem the rising tide in abductions and other criminal activities.
Alhaji Manir Haidara the state commissioner of Information, on Tuesday said movements, particularly, travels along the state borders with Katsina and sokoto states will be restricted from 7.00 pm to 6.00 am .
This, he said, is to curtail high incidences of kidnappings within the Yankara border with Katsina and Bimasa border with Sokoto state .
The Commissioner who spoke after the State’s Security Council Meeting further noted that the move is to check abductions and kidnappings of travelers along Sokoto-Gusau-Funtua highway.
