Suspected members of the Boko Haram sect disrupted worship Sunday’s worship service at a church in Attagara village in Gwoza local government area of Borno State.

The sect were said to have opened fire on worshippers while the service was going on at about 9.30am, leading to the death of nine worshippers.

The service was subsequently brought to an abrupt end as worshippers fled the church premises.

It would be recalled that the entire Gwoza local government area of the state was still in mourning following the murder by the sect on Friday of the Emir of Gwoza, Alhaji Idrissa Timta.

A source confirmed the killing of nine persons in the attack. He said the people later took on the insurgents and were able to kill four of them.

A resident of the village who fled to Maiduguri, the state capital, Matha Yohana, told journalists that the insurgents came while Sunday service was going.

He said, “The attack occurred in the morning at about 9.30 at EYN Church while the service was going on.

“Our church has some men as security group. They usually keep vigilance at the church especially when service is going on. As we were holding service, we started hearing gunshots and everybody fled, some through the windows and ran into the bush. Some whose houses are near the church also ran to their houses. Men in the community immediately mobilised and pursued the Boko Haram men.

“They were more than 10, they came with motorcycles and a car. Our security men killed four of them and arrested three. I later discovered nine of our men in the church (security group) were shot dead. I left Attangara yesterday afternoon, slept at Gwoza to get to Maiduguri today.”

An indigene of the area who resides in Maiduguri told journalists that his relation in Gwoza town who visited the village on Sunday afternoon told him about the incident. Nine of our people were killed but the community also killed four of the insurgents.

Attempts to get official confirmation from police and military authority was unsuccessful as the mobile line of their spokesmen did not go through as at the time of filing this report.

(PUNCH)