Nigerian President Bola Tinubu has ordered the military and security agencies to launch an immediate rescue operation after gunmen carried out a mass kidnapping in north-central Niger State last week.
An armed group released a video on social media platforms showing what residents described as approximately 600 women, children and elderly individuals abducted during an attack on a mosque in the region. Reuters was unable to independently confirm the figure, though if verified it would represent one of Nigeria’s largest and most daring mass kidnappings in recent memory.
Local officials from Borgu district, where the attack occurred, reported that 30 individuals were killed during the assault and were buried on Sunday. The official, speaking anonymously due to lack of authorisation to address the media, identified the affected communities as Dakera, Gidan-Zana and Sabon Gida.
‘We will defend our people’
In its first public statement regarding the incident, the presidency strongly condemned the attack as cowardly and affirmed that those responsible would face justice.
“Terror will not intimidate Nigeria. We will defend our people, protect our communities and uphold the sanctity of human life,” Tinubu stated.
The president directed security chiefs to provide regular updates on rescue efforts and ensure accountability for all those taken.
Abubakar Umar, the traditional leader of the Dakera community, reported that at least 2,000 residents fled to the neighbouring Benin Republic following the attack.
Obed Nana, Niger State’s information commissioner, told Reuters that authorities were still working to verify the number of missing persons.
“I do not want to speculate too heavily on this matter given how sensitive such information can be,” Nana stated.
Mass kidnappings for ransom have become increasingly prevalent across northwestern and north-central Nigeria, where heavily armed criminal organisations routinely carry out raids on villages, schools and highways.
(FRANCE 24 with Reuters)
