Mass Abduction at Mosque in Nigeria's Niger State Leaves Scores Missing

Armed groups launched a coordinated series of attacks on Friday across several remote villages in the Borgu Local Government Area of Niger state, Nigeria, culminating in the mass abduction of worshippers from a mosque. Police spokesperson Wasiu Abiodun confirmed the incidents on Saturday, stating that no lives were lost during the assaults, though the exact number of those taken remains unconfirmed.

Local officials and residents report that between 60 and 80 people were seized, with many taken directly from a Juma'at mosque in Kpenya village. Abdullahi Mohammed Nasir, chairman of the Borgu area council, stated that at least 60 people were kidnapped, and an unspecified number of others sustained gunshot wounds while attempting to flee the gunmen.

"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, said 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.

Such attacks are a recurring problem in Nigeria, where multiple armed groups operate, often kidnapping for ransom and occasionally clashing with each other. No group has yet claimed responsibility for Friday's raids. Police said the military has been deployed to the region, and a search for the missing was underway on Saturday.