Armed men kidnap dozens in attacks on Nigerian villages
Police say three villages and a mosque were attacked, and worshippers kidnapped in central Niger State. Armed men have kidnapped dozens of people during an attack on a mosque and surrounding villages in Nigeria’s central Niger State, survivors and police officials say.
Why It Matters
This story touches on villages, armed, men — topics readers are actively tracking. Review and add editorial context before publishing.
Key Facts
- Fact 1: The raiders stormed Kpenya Mosque in the Dekara district of Borgu Local Government Area at around 2pm (13:00 GMT) on Friday, after first attacking the villages of Gidan-Zana and Kpenya, police spokesperson Wasiu Abiodun said on Saturday.
- Fact 2: Nigeria’s election campaign begins with Tinubu facing a reform test Death toll from Nigeria boat accident rises to at least 52 Nigeria and the Sahel: A growing security divide Abiodun told the Reuters news agency that police were aware of the kidnappings but had not received reports of anyone being killed, and that a “joint security detachment has been deployed to the area for assessment and rescue operations”.
- Fact 3: Local residents told Reuters that more than 60 worshippers were kidnapped, but the figure could not be independently verified.
- Fact 4: The attack unfolded in a region near Nigeria’s western border with Benin that has seen growing activity from local armed groups and fighters from the neighbouring region, even as the country’s 17-year armed rebellion remains concentrated in the northeast.
Police say three villages and a mosque were attacked, and worshippers kidnapped in central Niger State. Armed men have kidnapped dozens of people during an attack on a mosque and surrounding villages in Nigeria’s central Niger State, survivors and police officials say.
The raiders stormed Kpenya Mosque in the Dekara district of Borgu Local Government Area at around 2pm (13:00 GMT) on Friday, after first attacking the villages of Gidan-Zana and Kpenya, police spokesperson Wasiu Abiodun said on Saturday. Nigeria’s election campaign begins with Tinubu facing a reform test Death toll from Nigeria boat accident rises to at least 52 Nigeria and the Sahel: A growing security divide Abiodun told the Reuters news agency that police were aware of the kidnappings but had not received reports of anyone being killed, and that a “joint security detachment has been deployed to the area for assessment and rescue operations”. He said police could not yet confirm the number of people who were taken.
(Original synthesis pending human/AI review — generated by the stub provider by selecting real sentences from the source material, not by writing new analysis or commentary.)
Original source: Al Jazeera
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