Particle.news
Get it on Google Play
Download on the App Store
10 ARTICLES
·
last mo.

Tinubu Orders Rescue After Mass Mosque Kidnapping in Niger State

A widely circulated video claiming hundreds of captives raises urgent pressure on security forces to verify the toll and free the victims.

Image
People sit on the grass in this screen grab obtained from a social media video released by an armed group on August 23, 2026, showing what residets said were about 600 women, children and older people abducted in an attack on a mosque in Nigeria’s north-central Niger State. SOCIAL MEDIA/via REUTERS
People sit on the grass in this screen grab obtained from a social media video released by an armed group on August 23, 2026, showing what residets said were about 600 women, children and older people abducted in an attack on a mosque in Nigeria’s north-central Niger State. SOCIAL MEDIA/via REUTERS
People sit on the grass in this screen grab obtained from a social media video released by an armed group on August 23, 2026, showing what residets said were about 600 women, children and older people abducted in an attack on a mosque in Nigeria’s north-central Niger State. SOCIAL MEDIA/via REUTERS

Overview

  • Gunmen attacked multiple mosques in Dekara village in Borgu Local Government Area during Juma'at prayers on Friday, Aug. 21, and abducted worshippers including local leaders and families.
  • Residents and a video posted by an armed group have claimed large numbers taken — roughly 500–600 in the footage — but authorities have not verified the total and warn reports are unconfirmed.
  • President Bola Tinubu on Aug. 25 ordered the military and security agencies to launch an immediate rescue operation and demanded regular updates from commanders.
  • Niger State and federal forces have launched joint operations to track attackers and rescue captives while withholding operational details; locals report IEDs, some killings and displacement into Benin Republic that complicate recovery.
  • Human-rights groups say the raid fits a wider pattern of mass kidnappings for ransom in north-central and northwestern Nigeria and warn of severe abuse of captives, a concern that heightens political pressure ahead of national elections.