30 Dead, Scores Abducted in Coordinated Mosque Attacks in Niger State

30 Dead, Scores Abducted in Coordinated Mosque Attacks in Niger State

A wave of coordinated terrorist attacks on four mosques in Niger State has left at least 30 people dead and more than 60 others abducted, in one of the deadliest assaults on religious worshippers in the region this year. The attacks, which took place on Friday, 21 August 2026, targeted communities in Borgu Local Government Area during the weekly Juma’at prayers, forcing hundreds of residents to flee their homes and sparking a major security response.

The simultaneous strikes occurred in the communities of Dekara, Kpenya, Sabon-Gida, and Gidan-Zana, also known locally as Gbezhin. Armed assailants surrounded the mosques as worshippers gathered for Friday prayers, rounding up men, young boys, and elderly villagers before marching them into nearby forests. According to local officials, many of the victims were killed while being forced through the dense bush, their bodies recovered by community members and buried over the weekend.

Confirming the death toll, the Chairman of Borgu Local Government Area, Mohammed Nasir Abdullahi, told Daily Trust on Monday that nearly half of those abducted had been killed by their captors. “From the records I have, those kidnapped were a little above 60. Those that were killed were close to 30,” he said. He also confirmed that properties, including the residence of the District Head of Dekara, Abubakar Umar, were set on fire during the attacks. The chairman added that the military had moved into the area and that calm had been restored, though he acknowledged that many residents had already fled to safer locations.

However, there are significant discrepancies in the number of people taken captive. While official figures put the number of abducted worshippers at just over 60, residents have told reporters that more than 60 people were taken from the Dekara central mosque alone, and at least 100 people from Gbezhin remained unaccounted for as of Sunday. A terrorist group has reportedly released a video claiming to hold about 500 hostages, including women and children, and urging relatives to identify their loved ones among those being held. Among those believed to be in captivity are the 90‑year‑old village head of Ka’ada, who had only recently been freed from a previous kidnapping, and the chief imam of the mosque.

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In the aftermath of the attacks, fear has gripped the affected communities. Dozens of families have fled to the nearby town of New Bussa and some have crossed the border into the neighbouring Republic of Benin, following threats from the attackers that anyone remaining in the villages would be killed. A resident told Daily Trust that only a handful of people are still in Dekara, with most having abandoned their homes and livelihoods.

Security forces have launched a joint operation to track down the attackers and rescue those still in captivity. The police have confirmed that a coordinated effort involving the military and other security agencies is underway. However, rescue and security operations are facing serious obstacles. The rugged terrain and poor road networks in the area are hindering the movement of personnel, and residents have warned that improvised explosive devices have been planted along routes that security operatives would normally use. This comes just over a month after an army captain and two soldiers were killed by an IED explosion in the same local government area in July 2026.

Some residents have called on security agencies to adopt the same approach used in the recent rescue of more than 40 students and teachers in Oriire, who were freed after 56 days in captivity following a month‑long intelligence‑driven operation. That operation, according to Army spokesman Jonah Danjuma of the 2 Division in Ibadan, focused on identifying the masterminds behind the abduction and dismantling their network and hideouts within the Old Oyo National Park. Several arrests were reportedly made in Oyo State and other parts of the country, disrupting the group’s activities.

The attacks in Borgu are not an isolated incident. Residents have told reporters that seven out of the ten wards in the local government area are currently affected by insecurity, with hundreds of people, mostly farmers, displaced and dozens killed. The affected wards include Babanna, Kabe/Pissa, Konkoso, Shagunu, Dugga, Wawa and Malale. Since December 2025, more than a dozen villages in Anindita District and Babanna Area Development Council have been attacked and destroyed by terrorists, forcing entire communities to flee. One resident asked: “Contrary to the claim that normalcy has returned, our people cannot go to farms in Anindita, Babanna and Gada‑Oli axes. Schools are shut. Over 300,000 people are displaced. If normalcy exists, why are villages still empty and why is humanitarian aid yet to reach most IDPs?” The communities have called for military operations to clear terrorist enclaves within the Babanna Area Development Council, which they say are being used as staging grounds for attacks, as well as support for local vigilantes and humanitarian assistance for displaced farmers.

This latest violence follows a series of attacks in the region over the past year. In November 2025, terrorists kidnapped an unspecified number of travellers along the Wawa‑Lumma Road, intercepting two passenger vehicles and abducting all their occupants. In December 2025, a security outpost at Ibrahim Leteh village was destroyed and patrol vehicles vandalised. In January 2026, a police border patrol outpost at New Kalli village was attacked and burnt, just two days after dozens of traders and farmers were reportedly killed at Kasuwan Daji. More recently, on 18 June 2026, at least ten farmers, including traditional rulers, were killed in an attack on the Old Gangale community.

The international community has also responded. Amnesty International has urged Nigerian authorities to urgently secure the release of the abducted worshippers, warning of the growing threat posed by mass abductions across the country’s north. The organisation described the incident as particularly alarming because the victims were targeted while observing Friday prayers, and called on the government to address the broader wave of mass abductions targeting rural communities. Amnesty noted that at least 1,100 people were abducted between January and April 2026, and that available figures may significantly underestimate the actual scale of the problem. Victims of previous mass abductions, the organisation warned, had reported severe abuses including torture, starvation, sexual violence and amputation.

The Kpenya attack occurred barely a week after gunmen killed at least 32 people during Friday prayers at a mosque in the Ungushi community in Sokoto State, including the mosque’s imam. These incidents add to a worrying pattern of violence around the Borgu‑Kainji corridor, an area where authorities and security analysts have long raised concerns about armed groups operating around Kainji Lake National Park.