The Niger State Police Command has disclosed that tactical teams of the military and police have been deployed to rescue over 100 residents abducted by terrorists in Mariga Local Government Area of the state.
According to The PUNCH, the terrorists abducted the victims from Maburya community last Saturday night. They were said to have stormed the community and started shooting sporadically into the air before taking the residents away into the forest.
The attack on Maburya community is the latest in a wave of mass abductions across Niger State. Over 500 people were reportedly abducted from Borgu in the New Bussa Local Government Area in August, and up till this moment, the captives are still being held in the terrorists’ den.
A security source, who pleaded anonymity, said the proximity of Mariga LGA to the expansive Kainji Lake National Park and other forest reserves in the state provides a seeming cover for terrorists, making it difficult for security agencies to track and engage them.
Another source, a local resident who failed to give his name, said 100 of the abducted residents were set free by the terrorists on Tuesday morning, leaving only three others, whom he said the bandits had promised to free as well. However, the police did not confirm the development.
The spokesman for the Niger State Police Command, Wasiu Abiodun, confirmed the abduction on Tuesday but did not confirm the release of the captives.
“On 13/9/2026 at about 8 pm, a report was received from Bangi Division indicating that suspected bandits invaded Maburya village via Bangi and abducted an unspecified number of victims, later releasing elderly and pregnant women, including nursing mothers, while others were taken away,” Abiodun said.
“Police and military tactical teams have been deployed to the location, while rescue efforts are intensified. Further developments will be made available to the public,” he added.
