Gunmen abducted several worshippers from a mosque in Nigeria’s north-central Niger state during Friday prayers, police said, as communities in the region continue to face raids and mass kidnappings by armed gangs.
The attack took place at Kpenya Mosque in the Dekara district of Borgu local government area at around 2 p.m. on Friday, according to Niger state police spokesperson Wasiu Abiodun.
Police said the gunmen had earlier attacked the nearby villages of Gidan-Zana and Kpenya before targeting the mosque.
Abiodun said no deaths had been reported and that a joint security team had been deployed to the area to assess the situation and carry out rescue operations.
Authorities have not provided an official figure for the number of people abducted.
However, local residents told Reuters that more than 60 worshippers were taken during what they described as a coordinated assault affecting Dekara and three other communities in Borgu while residents were attending Friday prayers.
Reuters said it could not independently verify the residents’ estimate.
Mass kidnappings for ransom have become a persistent security threat across parts of northwestern and north-central Nigeria. Heavily armed criminal groups, commonly referred to locally as bandits, regularly raid rural communities, schools and highways, abducting civilians and demanding payment for their release.