Nigerian president orders rescue operation for people kidnapped at mosque
Nigerian President Bola Tinubu has ordered the military and other security services to immediately launch an operation to rescue people whom armed attackers abducted during an attack on a mosque in Niger State in the north-central part of the country.
As France 24 reports, citing Reuters, the armed group shared videos of the abducted people on Facebook and WhatsApp. According to local residents, the attackers may have abducted about 600 women, children and elderly people. Reuters could not independently verify this number, while Niger State authorities continue to verify reports of missing people.
Deaths and residents fleeing
An unnamed official from the Borgu district, where the attack occurred, said that 30 people were killed in the attack and were buried on Sunday. According to her, the attack affected residents of the Dakerа, Gidan-Zana and Sabon-Gida communities.
Abubakar Umar, the traditional leader of the Dakera community, said that at least 2,000 people fled to the neighboring Republic of Benin after the attack.
More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram.
President's response
In its first public statement on the incident, the presidential administration condemned the attack as cowardly and promised to hold those responsible accountable. Tinubu said: “Terror will not intimidate Nigeria. We will protect our people, protect our communities and uphold the sanctity of human life.”
The president also instructed security service chiefs to regularly report on efforts to rescue the abducted people and determine the fate of everyone taken by the attackers. Niger State Information Commissioner Obed Nana told Reuters that authorities do not want to speculate about the number of missing people because of the sensitivity of this information.
Mass kidnappings for ransom have become common in some areas of northwestern and north-central Nigeria. Armed criminal groups attack villages, schools and highways, hold captives for weeks or months, and demand substantial ransoms.
