In early Friday morning, unknown gunmen attacked a mosque in Ughelli, Delta state, leaving 11 worshippers injured.

A resident said the attack occurred at about 6:47 a.m. when some Muslim faithful were holding their morning prayers at the Central Mosque, located along Okoroda street in Ughelli.

“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 a.m., we heard a shooting at the mosque,” the resident said via a telephone.

Mr Larry added, “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.”

According to him, after the invaders left, many residents thronged to the mosque in their numbers to see what happened.

According to Mr Larry, residents evacuated injured worshippers, adding that those that survived the attack suffered severe injuries. He said some of the worshippers told residents that three of their fellow worshippers were taken away by the gunmen.

The police spokesman in Delta, Bright Edafe, confirmed the attack.

He, however, did not confirm the abduction of three 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,” said the police officer. “For now, no arrest has been made, but I can assure you that we will get those involved.”

(NAN)