Jihadists reportedly slaughtered worshippers and kidnapped dozens of others during attacks on communities in central Nigeria, with a survivor claiming the victims were targeted for allegedly failing to follow the "true teachings of Islam". The violence took place in Niger State on Friday, with armed groups attacking communities while residents were observing Friday prayers.
Attacks during Friday prayers
The exact number of people killed remains unclear. Federal representative Jafaru Mohammed said the attacks also hit the village of Binzi.
A survivor, Jibril Ahmad, said hundreds of members of an armed group known as Lakuwara arrived shortly after worshippers had finished their Friday prayers. The attackers were armed with guns, knives and machetes, according to Ahmad, who said they began attacking people and slaughtered some of the victims.
"They slaughtered some of our people, saying we are not practising the true teachings of Islam," he said.
Separate mosque attack and abductions
Some people reportedly managed to escape after another jihadist group, known as Mahmuda, began fighting the Lakuwara militants. The violence was followed by a separate attack on a nearby mosque, where more than 60 worshippers were reportedly abducted.
Police spokesperson Wasiu Abiodun said armed men stormed Kpenya Mosque in the Dekara district of the Borgu local government area at around 2pm. The attackers had reportedly first targeted the nearby villages of Gidan-Zana and Kpenya before reaching the mosque.
Abiodun said there had been no confirmed deaths in that particular attack and that a joint security operation had been launched to assess the situation and search for the kidnapped worshippers. A resident told Reuters that the attacks appeared to have been coordinated, with violence reported simultaneously in Dekara and three other communities in Borgu while residents were attending Friday prayers. Reuters said it was unable to independently verify the account.
Growing threat and recent context
The attacks highlight the growing threat posed by armed groups outside the areas traditionally associated with Nigeria's long-running jihadist insurgency.
Nigeria has been fighting jihadist groups for 17 years, with kidnappings frequently used as a tactic. The conflict has historically been concentrated in the northeast but armed groups have increasingly expanded their activity into western parts of the country. The 2014 kidnapping of hundreds of schoolgirls from the town of Chibok became one of the most notorious incidents of the insurgency.
Militant groups have also exploited communities where government and security forces have limited reach, sometimes presenting themselves as an alternative authority. Nigeria's security forces have faced pressure over their ability to deal with the expanding threat, while President Bola Tinubu has sought to strengthen the military through increased pay and mass recruitment.
The latest attacks come only weeks after Nigerian security forces rescued 163 people from jihadist captivity. The freed captives, mostly women and children, were handed over to authorities in Ilorin, the capital of Kwara State, earlier this month. They had been abducted during an attack on the village of Woro on February 3, when militants killed more than 160 people. That attack was among the deadliest in Nigeria in recent years and raised fears that armed groups previously concentrated in the north were moving further south.
