Delta: Mosque Invaded By Gunmen, Worshippers Injured

A mosque in Ughelli, Delta State was invaded by gunmen in the early hours of Friday, leaving no less than 11 worshippers injured.

An eyewitness who spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) revealed that the incident took place at about 6.47 am when the Muslim faithful were having their morning prayers at the Central Mosque, located along Okoroda street in Ughelli.

The resident who identified himself as Larry disclosed that those living in the vicinity were woken from their sleep by the sound of gunshots followed by loud cries from people inside the mosque.

“My name is Larry, I am a commercial vehicle driver here in Ughelli. I live very close to the central mosque, so this morning at about 6.45 am, we heard a shooting at the mosque.

“Because of fear, many people in my compound were frightened and we remained inside only peeping through our windows.

“As the shooting lasted, we heard loud cries from some worshippers inside the mosque", he shared.

Larry stated that after the unidentified gunmen left, many residents trooped to the mosque in their numbers to see what happened.

According to him, the residents helped to evacuate injured worshippers, adding that those that survived the attack suffered severe injuries.

Larry also added that some of the worshippers told residents that three of their fellow worshippers were taken away by the gunmen.

The incident was confirmed by the Delta police spokesperson, DSP Bright Edafe but he said nothing about the reported abduction of the worshippers.

“I just called the DPO at Ughelli and he confirmed to me that 11 persons were injured in the attack at the mosque.

“However, the police have commenced an investigation into the incident and we will update you as we work to unravel the culprits.

“For now, no arrest has been made but I can assure you that we will get those involved", the police spokesman stated.