Coordinated attacks on villages and mosque
Armed groups launched coordinated attacks on several villages and a mosque in Nigeria's central Niger State during Friday prayers, kidnapping dozens of worshippers, according to police, local officials, and residents. The attacks occurred in the Borgu Local Government Area, a remote region bordering Kebbi and Kwara states as well as Benin.
Police spokesperson Wasiu Abiodun said the attackers first targeted the villages of Gidan-Zana and Kpenya before storming Kpenya Mosque in the Dekara district at about 2 p.m. local time on Friday. Abiodun said a joint security detachment had been deployed for assessment and rescue operations, but he could not confirm the number of people taken.
Residents told Reuters that more than 60 worshippers were kidnapped, with some estimating the figure at between 60 and 80. Borgu area council chairman Abdullahi Mohammed Nasir said at least 60 people were abducted, and an unspecified number sustained gunshot injuries while trying to escape. "People were abducted while praying at a Juma'at mosque on Friday," Nasir said. "That was when the bad people came and surrounded the mosque and took them away."
Zubairu Umar Talba, a youth leader in the Dekara area, told The Associated Press that his 85-year-old father was among those taken. "Nobody can tell you the exact number of people abducted because, so far, about 80 of our people have been abducted and many have fled the area," he said.
Disputed death toll and responsibility
Accounts of casualties differed sharply. Abiodun said "the developing report indicated that no life was lost," a statement echoed by several sources. However, residents told AFP that people were also killed, and a separate report citing police and residents who spoke to the BBC said more than 40 people were killed in attacks on Dekara, Gidan Zana, Sabon Gida, and Masaka villages. The same report put the number of abducted at more than 100. The discrepancies remained unresolved.
No group claimed responsibility for the attacks, and police did not confirm any specific perpetrator. A survivor, Jibril Ahmad, blamed the Lakurawa armed group. "Soon after finishing the normal Friday prayer, the armed group of Lakurawa, in their hundreds, wielding guns, knives and machetes, began to attack us," he told AFP, adding that the attackers "slaughtered some of our people, saying we are not practicing the true teachings of Islam."
Witnesses gave conflicting accounts of the attackers' identity. One told AFP the gunmen belonged to Lakurawa, which researchers link to the "Islamic State Sahel Province" group. Another resident told AFP the attackers were from Ansaru, a group aligned with al-Qaeda. Police said they suspected bandits—criminal gangs involved in kidnapping and looting for ransom—but did not rule out other possibilities.
Rival group clash and aftermath
Witnesses said a third rival jihadi group, Mahmuda, clashed with the attackers and allowed some abductees to escape. Federal lawmaker Jafaru Mohammed told AFP that several nearby villages were struck, and that Mahmuda fought Lakurawa due to ideological differences. "Some members of the Mahmuda group were against the doctrine of the Lakurawa, and when they heard of what the Lakurawa were doing, they fought them," he said.
On Saturday, resident Abdullahi Ahmad said the Lakurawa group returned to seize more people and planted landmines on the road out of Dekara, killing a man and his family when their car hit a landmine. This account was not independently confirmed.
The attacks highlight the ongoing security challenges in Niger State and across north-central Nigeria, where armed groups have exploited remote forests and weak security presence. Mass kidnappings for ransom have become common in the region, with heavily armed criminal gangs frequently raiding villages, schools, and highways. Earlier this month, police said 145 people had been rescued after being abducted from four villages in Borgu, part of a larger operation that freed over 300 captives. In November 2025, gunmen abducted more than 200 pupils from a school in Papiri, Niger State; they were released about a month later.
Perspectives
Police and local officials: Police spokesperson Wasiu Abiodun said no lives were lost in the Friday attacks and that a joint security detachment had been deployed. Borgu area council chairman Abdullahi Mohammed Nasir confirmed the abductions and said at least 60 people were taken. Local lawmaker Jafar Muhammad Shetiman Borgu confirmed the attacks and expressed fears that gunmen might be trying to recruit young people.
Survivors and residents: Survivor Jibril Ahmad blamed the Lakurawa group, saying they arrived in their hundreds with guns, knives, and machetes, and slaughtered people for not practicing the "true teachings of Islam." Residents estimated the number of abducted at between 60 and 80, with some saying more than 100. A resident said the attack appeared coordinated and occurred simultaneously in several communities.
Witnesses on group rivalry: Witnesses told AFP that a third jihadi group, Mahmuda, clashed with the attackers, allowing some abductees to escape. Federal lawmaker Jafaru Mohammed said Mahmuda opposed Lakurawa's doctrine. Another resident told AFP the attackers were from Ansaru, a group aligned with al-Qaeda.