Nigeria Launches Rescue Operation After 600 Abducted in Mosque Attack

Nigerian President Bola Tinubu has ordered the military to launch an immediate rescue operation after armed men abducted an estimated 600 women, children, and older people during coordinated attacks on villages in Niger State last Friday, one of the largest mass kidnappings in the country’s recent history if the figure is confirmed.

What Happened

Gunmen attacked communities including Dakera, Gidan-Zana, and Sabon Gida in the Borgu Local Government Area, striking during Friday prayers at a local mosque. A local official said 30 people were killed in the attacks and were buried on Sunday. An armed group later posted video on Facebook and WhatsApp appearing to show hundreds of abducted residents, though Reuters said it could not independently verify the roughly 600 figure shown in that footage.

A Wave of Displacement

At least 2,000 people fled across the border into neighboring Benin in the aftermath of the attack, according to local officials, adding a refugee crisis on top of the abductions themselves.

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The Government’s Response

Tinubu directed the military and other security agencies to launch a rescue operation and ordered security chiefs to provide him with regular updates on efforts to recover the abductees and account for everyone taken. No details on the identity or affiliation of the attackers have been publicly confirmed.

Part of a Recurring Crisis

Mass kidnappings for ransom by armed groups, often referred to locally as bandits, have become endemic across north-central and northwestern Nigeria in recent years, frequently targeting schools, religious gatherings, and rural villages with little security presence. The scale of last week’s attack, if the reported abduction figures hold up, would place it among the largest such incidents the country has seen.

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