Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu has ordered the Armed Forces and security agencies to launch an immediate rescue operation following a mass kidnapping in Niger State, northern Nigeria. The directive follows an attack on a mosque last week in which armed men abducted an estimated 600 women, children and elderly people, according to local accounts shared on social media platforms.
Local officials reported that at least 30 people were killed during the assault and buried on Sunday. Traditional chief Abubakar Umar said at least 2,000 residents from the Borgu district fled to neighboring Benin in the aftermath of the violence. The Nigerian government has not independently verified the number of abductees, citing the sensitivity of the information.
President Tinubu stated that the state would not be intimidated by terror, vowing to defend communities and protect human life. Security chiefs have been instructed to provide regular updates on the operation. Security agencies, including the military, are coordinating the response, though details on the scale and timing of the rescue effort remain undisclosed.
