Mass Kidnappings Reported as Armed Raiders Target Mosque and Villages in Nigeria’s Niger State

Armed attackers have abducted numerous individuals during a violent raid on a mosque and nearby settlements in central Nigeria’s Niger State, according to accounts from local survivors and police authorities. The assault targeted the Kpenya Mosque located in the Dekara district of Borgu Local Government Area at approximately 2pm on Friday, following initial attacks on the settlements of Gidan-Zana and Kpenya, as detailed by police spokesperson Wasiu Abiodun on Saturday.

Abiodun stated to the Reuters news agency that law enforcement agencies were informed of the abductions though no fatalities had been officially reported at the time, adding that a joint security team had been dispatched to the region to evaluate the situation and conduct rescue missions. Police officials were unable to verify the exact total of individuals seized.

While local inhabitants informed Reuters that upwards of 60 worshippers had been taken, this number remained unverified independently. Concurrently, residents reported to the AFP news agency that casualties had occurred, though this assertion also awaited official confirmation.

Jibril Ahmad, a survivor from Dekara, attributed the violence to fighters from the Lakurawa armed faction. Ahmad described how hundreds of armed individuals carrying firearms, blades, and machetes launched their assault immediately following Friday prayers. He further claimed that a separate faction known as Mahmuda intervened during the incident, engaging the kidnappers in combat and enabling several captives to flee.

Federal lawmaker Jafaru Mohammed confirmed to AFP that multiple surrounding communities were impacted by the violence. Mohammed noted that ideological differences between factions led members of the Mahmuda group to confront the Lakurawa attackers upon learning of their actions.

The incident occurred in a territory close to Nigeria’s western border with Benin, which has experienced rising incursions by domestic armed factions and regional combatants, even as a long-standing armed rebellion persists primarily in the northeast. Violence in Niger State persisted through Saturday, with local resident Abdullahi Ahmad reporting that the armed group returned to capture additional hostages and placed landmines along exit routes from Dekara.

Mass abductions remain a frequent tactic utilized by armed networks across northwestern and central Nigeria, where criminal enterprises frequently generate millions of dollars through ransom operations.