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Security forces in Nigeria (archive image)
Photo: AFOLABI SOTUNDE / REUTERS
The attack began around 5 a.m.: According to eyewitness reports, at least 18 people were killed in an attack on a mosque belonging to the Maza Kuka community in the state of Niger in northern Nigeria.
"They came and went straight to the mosque and shot at the believers without sparing anyone," local resident Abdulganiyu Hassan told Reuters.
The heavily armed attackers came on motorcycles.
More than ten other people were abducted, according to eyewitnesses.
At least 20 other people were wounded, said Bello Ayuba, another eyewitness.
The background to the attack in Mashegu district and the identity of the perpetrators is still unclear.
A police spokesman was initially not available for a statement.
There are repeated attacks in the region.
Armed groups abducted or killed hundreds of people in northwestern Nigeria this year alone.
The perpetrators often want to extort ransom.
The radical Islamic group Boko Haram has also committed such acts.
as / Reuters
