24.8.2026
Bandits who struck at a mosque in Dekara, Niger State last week have released a video showing about 600 persons including women, children and older people.
The video, posted on Sunday on Facebook and WhatsApp, showed large groups of people seated in a forested area surrounded by armed men. Several children could be heard crying in the background.
The video surfaced two days after the latest kidnapping when gunmen attacked worshippers at the mosque in Dekara village during Friday prayers, taking people away in what residents said were simultaneous raids on several communities.
In the video, a gunman speaking in Hausa addressed families of the captives and urged them to identify relatives among the people in the footage.
“These are all your people. We are showing you this video so that you can identify your family members, your fathers, mothers, children and relatives,” the gunman said.
Four residents said they were able to confirm the identities of some of those seized.
“The people in the video are from Dekara. I’ve identified 13 people that I know,” Ibrahim Abubakar told Reuters.
Another resident, Abdulmutallib Muqaddas Dindi, said those who appeared in the video had been seized during the prayers. “We have identified our elders, relatives, and some of us have seen their wives and children in the video,” he said. Reuters reports