Gunmen Abduct Over 60 Worshippers from Mosque in Niger State

 

City Pulse News

August 22, 2026

Armed men stormed a mosque in Niger State’s Borgu Local Government Area on Friday and abducted more than 60 worshippers during Jumu’at prayers, in the latest mass kidnapping to hit Nigeria’s north-central region.

The attack took place at Kpenya Mosque in the Dekara district. According to residents and local reports, the gunmen first struck nearby communities including Gidan-Zana and Kpenya villages before surrounding the mosque as prayers were ongoing. Worshippers were then led away into surrounding forest areas.

Police spokesperson SP Wasiu Abiodun confirmed the incident on Saturday. He stated that no lives were lost and that a joint security team has been deployed to the area for assessment and rescue operations. Officials have not yet released a confirmed figure for the number of people taken, though multiple residents told journalists that more than 60 people were abducted.

The attack appeared coordinated and occurred simultaneously across several communities in Borgu while residents observed Friday prayers. Some worshippers managed to escape; others sustained minor injuries while fleeing. Among those reported taken were community elders, including a village head and an elderly man in his 90s.

Borgu Local Government Area, which borders Kebbi and Kwara states as well as the Republic of Benin, has faced repeated security challenges in recent years. Heavily armed criminal gangs, commonly referred to as bandits, have frequently targeted villages, highways and places of worship across northwestern and north-central Nigeria, often holding victims for ransom.

Federal lawmaker representing the area, Jafar Muhammad Shetiman Borgu, confirmed the multi-community nature of the assault and noted that forests around the Kainji Lake area continue to serve as hideouts for the attackers. Security operatives have launched rescue efforts, though difficult terrain and a collapsed bridge have slowed access to the affected communities.

This latest abduction adds to a troubling pattern of mass kidnappings that has heightened fear among residents and renewed calls for stronger security presence in the region. Authorities say operations to locate and free the victims are ongoing.

City Pulse News will continue to monitor developments and provide updates as more information becomes available.

— City Pulse News