Niger State raiders abduct dozens of worshippers amid violence

Armed men seized control of several villages in Niger State on Friday afternoon before abducting dozens of people from a local mosque. Police spokesperson Wasiu Abiodun stated that raiders first hit the settlements of Gidan-Zana and Kpenya before moving to storm the Kpenya Mosque in the Dekara district around 2pm GMT. He told Reuters that authorities had not yet received reports of fatalities, though they knew kidnappings were occurring. A joint security detachment is now on the ground to assess damage and launch rescue efforts, but officials still cannot confirm how many victims were taken away.

Survivors offered different accounts to various news outlets. Residents speaking to Reuters suggested more than 60 worshippers were dragged off, a number that remains unverified by independent investigators. Meanwhile, people talking to AFP claimed that civilians died during the chaos, another assertion awaiting confirmation from police sources. Jibril Ahmad, who survived the assault on Dekara, blamed the Lakurawa armed group for the violence. He described seeing hundreds of attackers wielding guns, knives, and machetes immediately after the Friday prayer service concluded.

The situation turned when a third faction intervened to stop the carnage. Ahmad said members of the Mahmuda group rushed in to clash with the kidnappers, allowing some abducted individuals to escape. Federal lawmaker Jafaru Mohammed confirmed that nearby villages also suffered during this coordinated strike. He explained that some fighters within the Mahmuda group opposed Lakurawa doctrine and chose to fight their own allies upon hearing news of the attack.

This violence unfolds in a sensitive zone near Nigeria's western border with Benin where local militias and regional fighters have increased activity recently. Although the country's 17-year rebellion stays concentrated in the northeast, Niger State has faced escalating threats from these groups. The attacks continued into Saturday as resident Abdullahi Ahmad reported that raiders returned to seize more hostages for use as bargaining chips ahead of expected troop deployments. His family and neighbors fled the town only to suffer a tragic fate when their vehicle struck a landmine planted on the road out of Dekara.

Mass abductions have long served as a primary tactic for these armed factions across Nigeria's northwest and central regions. What started as ideological conflicts has evolved into a lucrative multimillion-dollar industry involving networks of both religious and secular gangs. Communities now live in constant fear while terrorist groups plant explosives and hunt for new captives to leverage against government forces.