President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has ordered a coordinated rescue operation after armed men abducted worshippers from a mosque in Niger State, with local residents estimating that more than 60 people were taken during Friday prayers.
The attack occurred at about 2 p.m. on Friday, August 21, at Kpenya Mosque in Dekara District, Borgu Local Government Area, according to the Niger State Police Command and reports by Al Jazeera and The Guardian Nigeria.
The attackers were also reported to have invaded the nearby communities of Gidan Zana and Kpenya before storming the mosque.
Residents told reporters that the gunmen surrounded the mosque shortly after prayers and marched the worshippers towards a nearby forest in the direction of the Kainji Lake area, which residents suspect is used as a hideout by armed groups.
Those reportedly taken included worshippers from Gidan Zana, Masaka, Sabo Gida and other neighbouring communities.
A village head from Ka’ada who had recently been released from captivity and the chief imam of the central mosque were also said to be among the abducted.
However, the precise number of victims remains unclear. Residents cited by Reuters put the number of abducted worshippers at more than 60, while the police said they had not yet established the total. Some worshippers reportedly escaped into the surrounding forest.
The police account also differs from claims by some residents regarding casualties.
Niger State Police spokesperson, Superintendent Wasiu Abiodun, said preliminary information indicated that suspected terrorists abducted an unspecified number of people during prayers and that no life had been lost in the attack.
He said a joint security team had been deployed to assess the situation and begin rescue operations.
Residents separately told news agencies that people had been killed, including a family whose vehicle allegedly struck a landmine while fleeing the area on Saturday. Those claims had not been independently confirmed in the reports reviewed.
The Presidency, however, referred in its statement to the abduction and killing of innocent citizens, without providing a casualty figure or explaining the discrepancy with the police’s preliminary account.
In a statement signed by Bayo Onanuga, the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Tinubu directed the Armed Forces, the Nigeria Police Force, the Department of State Services and other security and intelligence agencies to work together to rescue the victims.
The President also ordered the Service Chiefs to provide him with regular briefings until all those abducted had been accounted for.
He condemned the attackers as “enemies of peace and enemies of humanity” and said they would not go unpunished.
“We will not rest until your sons, daughters, mothers and fathers are brought back safely to you,” Tinubu said, addressing the families of the victims.
Tinubu extended condolences to the families of those reported killed and pledged federal support to the Niger State Government for recovery, relief and additional security measures.
He also vowed that terrorism would not intimidate the country or weaken the government’s responsibility to protect communities and human life.
The incident occurred in a border region near Benin that has experienced growing activity by armed groups.
A survivor cited in the reports alleged that fighters from the Lakurawa group carried out the attack, while members of another armed group, Mahmuda, intervened and enabled some abductees to escape. The allegation has not been independently verified.
As of the latest available reports, the number of abducted people, the confirmed death toll and the identities of all victims had not been officially established. The rescue operation and security assessment were continuing.
