President Bola Tinubu has ordered an immediate coordinated rescue operation following the mass abduction of worshippers and residents in Niger State, as fresh reports suggest that hundreds of people may have been taken during attacks on communities in the Borgu area.
The directive was issued on Tuesday, August 25, after armed men attacked communities in the Dekara District and abducted worshippers during Friday prayers.
Tinubu directed the Armed Forces, Nigeria Police Force, Department of State Services and other security and intelligence agencies to work together to locate the victims and secure their safe return.
Around 600 people reportedly abducted
The scale of the incident has become clearer as residents and local sources provided new accounts of the attack.
Reuters reported on Tuesday that around 600 civilians, mostly women, children and elderly people, were believed to have been abducted, although the figure remains unverified.
A video circulating online also appears to show a large group of captives, including women, children and elderly people, surrounded by armed men in a forested area.
Residents who viewed the footage claimed to have recognised relatives among those being held. Reuters, however, said it could not independently verify the exact number of people shown or the location of the recording.
Attackers stormed mosque during Friday prayers
The attackers reportedly first invaded communities including Gidan-Zana and Kpenya before storming Kpenya Mosque during Juma’at prayers on Friday, August 21.
Police initially said an unspecified number of worshippers were abducted while others escaped into nearby forests.
The authorities also deployed a joint security team to assess the situation and begin rescue efforts.
Niger Government intensifies rescue efforts
The Niger State Government has also directed security agencies to intensify efforts to locate and rescue the abducted worshippers.
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Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago reportedly condemned the attack and ordered security agencies to strengthen operations in the affected communities. Authorities have also urged residents to avoid circulating unverified figures that could interfere with ongoing operations.
Fresh reports claim dozens may have been killed
The situation has taken a more disturbing turn following claims by the Chairman of Borgu Local Government Area, Mohammed Nasir Abdullahi, that about 30 of those abducted had reportedly been killed.
He said the victims’ bodies had been recovered and buried, while security forces had moved into the affected communities.
However, this account conflicts with the Niger State Police Command’s earlier statement that its developing report indicated that no life had been lost. The conflicting accounts have yet to be fully reconciled.
President: ‘We will not rest until they return safely’
Reacting to the development, Tinubu described the attackers as “enemies of peace and enemies of humanity” and vowed that those responsible would not escape justice.
He also assured families of the victims that the government would continue working until their loved ones were brought home safely.
The latest development has therefore shifted attention from the initial attack to the rescue operation, the true number of abductees and the conflicting reports about casualties as security agencies begin what the presidency described as a coordinated operation to bring the victims home.
