Nigeria’s president has ordered a national manhunt after armed gunmen kidnapped as many as 500 children and villagers in a raid that left dozens dead. President Bola Tinubu has directed the military, police and the Department of State Services (DSS) to hunt down the kidnappers following coordinated attacks on four remote communities in the Borgu district of Niger State last Friday.
Mosques targeted during Friday prayers
Locals say several mosques were targeted at the same time as worshippers gathered for Friday prayers. The scale of the abductions is still being verified, but community leaders have spoken of between 500 and 600 people being dragged away - many of them women, children and elderly residents - and forced into forests surrounding the villages.
Police spokesman Wasiu Abiodun told the BBC that more than 40 people were killed, but said the exact death toll had not been confirmed. Residents described terrifying scenes as the gunmen arrived on motorcycles wearing military-style clothing, spraying bullets and setting homes alight.
Kidnappers post forest video
One teenage boy was reportedly killed by an explosive device as he tried to escape the chaos. Fear and confusion deepened over the weekend after the kidnappers posted a video on social media showing what they claimed were those seized in the raids, sitting tightly packed in a dense forest.
No official ransom demand has been made public, the BBC reported. One local man said he recognised people in the footage and described the agonising mix of relief and dread felt by families. He said: “I was able to identify many people. There is an elderly man in the video who is like a grandfather to us. He lives in Gidan Zana village.” He added that seeing loved ones on camera at least ended the torment of not knowing.
Mass flight and presidential response
The attacks have triggered a mass flight from the area, with thousands said to have abandoned their homes and fled into neighbouring Nigerian states, while others crossed the nearby border into Benin, allAfrica reported. In a statement issued by presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga, President Tinubu said: “Those who carried out this cowardly attack on defenceless Nigerians are enemies of peace and enemies of humanity, who will not go scot-free.” The statement added that the president offered his condolences to families of those killed.
Security sources and analysts have warned the daylight raid highlights major gaps in intelligence and protection in north-central Nigeria, where mass kidnappings have become increasingly common.
