An armed group releases a video of hundreds held captive after simultaneous attacks on mosques in Niger State's Borgu LGA. Official figures remain far lower than residents' estimates, and Reuters could not verify the footage.
Minna, Niger State — August 25, 2026
An armed group has released a video appearing to show hundreds of captives seized during last week's coordinated attacks on mosques in Borgu Local Government Area of Niger State, though the true scale of the abduction remains sharply contested between residents, police, and local officials four days after the assault.
The video, posted on Facebook and WhatsApp on Sunday, shows large groups of people, described by residents as women, children, and elderly worshippers, seated in a forested area surrounded by armed men, with children audible crying in the background.
In the footage, a gunman speaking Hausa addresses the families of the captives directly, saying the recording was released so relatives could identify their loved ones. Several residents told Reuters they recognised specific individuals in the footage, including elders, wives, and children from Dekara village.
Residents cited by international media put the number abducted at around 600, and by some local accounts even higher. But Borgu area council chairman Abdullahi Mohammed Nasir said only about 60 people were confirmed kidnapped, with an unspecified number injured by gunfire while trying to flee.
Police spokesperson Wasiu Abiodun similarly said no lives were lost in Friday's attacks and did not confirm a specific abduction figure, while other resident estimates placed the toll between 60 and 80. Reuters said it could not independently verify the authenticity of the video, and Niger State authorities did not respond to requests for comment.
The attacks began Friday during Juma'at prayers, when gunmen surrounded mosques in Dekara and moved on to strike Kpenya and other nearby communities in rapid succession, an assault this outlet covered as it was unfolding, when the death toll had not yet been established.
One youth leader in Dekara told the Associated Press his 85-year-old father was among those taken. The military has since been deployed to the area, and a search for survivors was launched over the weekend.
The Niger State Government has instructed security agencies to intensify rescue efforts, though it acknowledged four days after the attacks that it was still unable to confirm exact victim numbers.
The video's release has intensified public outrage and renewed pressure on both state and federal authorities to secure the captives' release, adding to a deepening security crisis in Borgu LGA that has also included a mosque-raid dispute between rival armed factions and, just last week, a separate attack that killed more than 20 people in the same LGA.
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