Several worshippers have been abducted during Friday prayers at a mosque in Borgu Local Government Area of Niger State, with the attackers reportedly storming the mosque while worshippers were observing the Juma’at prayer and taking an unspecified number of people away.
The attacks occurred in Dekara, Gidan Zana, Sabon Gida and Masaka communities, according to residents and the federal lawmaker representing the area, Hon. Jafar Muhammad Shetiman Borgu .
Shetiman Borgu, who confirmed the attacks to the BBC, said the actual number of people abducted had yet to be ascertained. He said several worshippers were attacked with machetes, while some managed to escape with injuries .
“Some people managed to escape, while others sustained machete wounds,” he was quoted as saying .
According to him, the attackers entered Dekara after Friday prayers, surrounded a mosque and took worshippers into the forest. The gunmen subsequently moved into neighbouring communities, where they abducted more people . Youths and heads of households were among those taken away, the lawmaker said .
Among those reportedly taken away by the attackers is the 90-year-old father of the District Head of Dekara, according to local sources .
The latest attacks have heightened concerns over the security situation in Borgu, which borders Kebbi and Kwara states as well as the Republic of Benin .
Shetiman Borgu said forests in the area had become hideouts for suspected members of the Lakurawa and Mamudawa groups . He disclosed that there had reportedly been a disagreement between the two groups following the attacks on worshippers, with some members said to have opposed the invasion of mosques and abduction of worshippers, leading to clashes between the factions .
Confirming the abduction, the Police Public Relations Officer of the Niger State Command, SP Wasiu Abiodun, said security agencies had mobilised personnel for a rescue operation aimed at locating the victims and apprehending those responsible .
Abiodun said no death had been recorded in connection with the incident, adding that security personnel were making efforts to secure the release of the abducted worshippers .
He, however, disclosed that the difficult terrain and poor road conditions in the affected communities were hampering the movement and deployment of security personnel responding to the incident, with a collapsed bridge linking the affected communities with the Borgu Local Government headquarters further slowing down the rescue operation .
The latest incident comes amid renewed security concerns in Borgu, which has witnessed several deadly attacks and abductions in recent months . In January, at least 30 people were reported killed when gunmen attacked Kasuwan-Daji village, while several others were abducted . A month later, gunmen attacked three communities – Tunga-Makeri, Konkoso and Pissa – killing at least 32 people, according to police and local sources . In June, another attack was reported in Pissa, where suspected bandits allegedly killed three people and set several houses ablaze .
