25.8.2026
President President Bola Tinubu Tuesday ordered the military and other security agencies to launch an immediate rescue operation to free about 600 citizens kidnapped by gunmen in Dekara Niger State last week.
The bandits audaciously posted a video on Facebook and WhatsApp showing what residents said were about 600 women, children and older people abducted during an attack on a mosque in the state.
An official from Borgu district, where the attack happened, said 30 people had been killed during the attack and were buried on Sunday.
The official, who declined to be identified because she was not authorised to speak to the media, said villagers from the communities of Dakera, Gidan-Zana and Sabon Gida were affected.
In its first public comments on the incident, the presidency condemned the attack as cowardly and vowed that those responsible would be brought to justice.
“Terror will not cow Nigeria. We will defend our people, protect our communities and uphold the sanctity of human life,” Tinubu said in a statement.
Tinubu directed security chiefs to provide regular updates on efforts to rescue the abductees and account for all those taken.
Abubakar Umar, the traditional head of Dakera community, said at least 2,000 people fled into neighbouring Benin Republic following the attack. With Reuters reports