Nigeria's president orders rescue operation after mass kidnapping at mosque

Nigerian President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday ordered the military and other security agencies to launch an immediate rescue operation following a mass kidnapping carried out by gunmen last week in north-central Niger State.

An armed group circulated a video on Facebook and WhatsApp that residents say shows around 600 women, children and elderly people abducted during an attack on a local mosque. Reuters was unable to independently confirm the figure, but if verified, the incident would rank among Nigeria's largest and boldest mass kidnappings in recent years.

Casualties and displacement

An official from Borgu district, speaking anonymously because she was not authorised to talk to media, said 30 people were killed in the attack and buried on Sunday. The affected communities included Dakera, Gidan-Zana and Sabon Gida.

Abubakar Umar, traditional head of the Dakera community, said at least 2,000 people fled across the border into Benin Republic following the attack. Niger state information commissioner Obed Nana said authorities were still trying to verify the number of people missing, cautioning against speculation given the sensitivity of the information.

Presidential response

In its first public comments on the incident, the presidency condemned the attack as cowardly and vowed that those responsible would face justice. Tinubu said in a statement that terror would not intimidate Nigeria and that the country would defend its people and protect its communities. He directed security chiefs to provide regular updates on rescue efforts and on accounting for all those abducted.

Mass kidnappings for ransom have become widespread in parts of northwestern and north-central Nigeria, where heavily armed criminal gangs frequently raid villages, schools and highways, often holding captives for weeks or months while expanding their operations beyond traditional strongholds.