Armed men abducted several people from a mosque in north-central Nigeria during Friday prayers, police officials stated on Saturday. The attack occurred at the Kpenya Mosque in the Dekara district of the Borgu local government area at approximately 2 p.m. local time on Friday. The incident followed initial attacks on the nearby villages of Gidan-Zana and Kpenya.
Police spokesperson Wasiu Abiodun confirmed the abductions in a statement, noting that a joint security detachment has been deployed to the region for assessment and rescue operations. Abiodun reported that no lives were lost during the event. While the police did not provide an official count of those taken, they confirmed the investigation is ongoing.
Local residents told Reuters that more than 60 worshippers were kidnapped during the incident. These residents described the event as a coordinated attack that occurred simultaneously across four communities in the Borgu area while people were gathered for prayers. These specific figures and the coordinated nature of the raids have not been independently verified by police or other official sources.
On a broader scale, the incident reflects a pattern of activity by armed groups, locally referred to as bandits, who operate in north-central and northwestern Nigeria. The scale of these kidnappings often involves dozens of people at a time, impacting the safety of essential daily activities such as attending religious services or traveling on highways. The continued occurrence of these raids indicates ongoing security challenges for local law enforcement and military detachments tasked with maintaining order in rural districts.
The knock-on effects include potential disruptions to local agriculture and trade if residents fear traveling to fields or markets. This event also adds to the existing caseload of missing persons in Nigeria, where other families have recently staged protests over children who have been missing for nearly 100 days. Moving forward, the joint security detachment will continue rescue operations; however, specific deadlines for these efforts or dates for judicial proceedings against perpetrators remain unknown.