Nigeria orders rescue operation after mosque attack and mass abduction
President Bola Tinubu directed security agencies to search for worshippers taken in Niger State, where residents say about 600 people were seized.
Nigeria’s president has ordered a rescue operation after an attack on a mosque in north-central Niger State left worshippers missing, according to officials and local residents on Tuesday. The reported abductions took place last week and prompted a security response from the federal government.
Bola Tinubu instructed security agencies to work on recovering the victims, the presidency said. Local authorities were still checking the number of people taken, while residents in the area said roughly 600 women, children and older people had been abducted.
The attack is the latest in a series of mass kidnappings in Nigeria’s north, where armed groups have repeatedly targeted civilians for ransom and leverage. Niger State has been among the areas affected by such violence in recent years.
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