Former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, has said the killers of worshippers in a mosque in Katsina on Tuesday deserve no mercy.

Reports have it that at least 27 people were killed in the horrible incident, and several others were wounded when armed bandits stormed the mosque during morning prayers, a village head and a hospital official said.

The gunmen opened fire as Muslims gathered to pray at around 04:00 GMT in the remote community of Unguwan Mantau in the Malumfashi local government area, residents said.

Reacting, Pantami said, "These people were killed while praying the most difficult congregation prayer to the hypocrites. The Prophet Muhammad (Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) says: No prayer is heavier upon the hypocrites than the Fajr (morning) and the `Isha (late evening) prayer and if they knew what is in them in reward, they would have attended them, even if (it was) crawling... (Bukhari reported it, hadith number 657).

"The reason why Fajr (morning) prayer is mentioned here is because of the hardship that it entails, and performing it on time and congregationally is a sign of a man’s sincerity and faith. Those who kill innocent people, irrespective of their religion or tribe betray the essence of humanity on earth.

"We urge the relevant security agencies to ensure the arrest of the criminals and bring an end to this inhumanity and criminality of the highest order. The killers of defenceless people are heartless, malevolent, and worse than animals.

"Security agencies may wish to use geospatial analysis using location data from phones, which could help track the phones in the environment at the time the crime was committed. This can be done using cell tower data and GPS data, as I have been recommending for 6 years, privately and otherwise.

"May Allah accept the departed ones as martyrs, give their families and relatives the fortitude to bear the loss, humiliate the criminals, and establish absolute peace in Nigeria. May Nigeria and Nigerians live in peace and stability."

ASA