A video appearing to show hundreds of women, children and elderly people being held by armed men has emerged following a mosque attack in Nigeria’s Niger State. Residents estimate that as many as 600 people were abducted, underscoring the growing scale of insecurity in the country’s north-central region.
The footage, circulated online, shows large groups of people seated in what appears to be a forested area, surrounded by armed men. Children can be heard crying as one of the gunmen addresses the captives.
Residents told Reuters that about 600 people were abducted during attacks on communities in the area. However, the figure could not be independently verified, and Reuters said it could not verify the video’s authenticity.
The footage emerged after gunmen attacked worshippers at a mosque in Dekara village during Friday prayers, according to residents. The attackers also reportedly raided several surrounding communities, taking residents into nearby forests.
Police confirmed an attack in the area but said they were unable to establish the exact number of people abducted. Police spokesperson Wasiu Abiodun said security forces had been deployed to assess the situation and begin rescue efforts.
In the video, an armed man speaking in Hausa appears to address relatives of the captives, urging them to identify family members among those shown.
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“These are all your people,” the man says, according to Reuters, before pointing to fathers, mothers, children and other relatives.
Jamilu Ibrahim, a resident, appealed to federal and state authorities to intervene, particularly because women with infants and children were among those shown in the footage.
The reported scale of the abduction has raised fresh concerns about the worsening security situation across north-western and north-central Nigeria, where armed gangs frequently target rural communities, schools, highways and places of worship.
Earlier reports on the Niger State attack gave substantially lower estimates of the number abducted. Reuters reported that more than 60 worshippers were taken from the mosque, while a local government chairman put the figure at at least 60.
Another local leader told the Associated Press that about 80 people had been abducted from affected communities, highlighting the uncertainty surrounding the actual number of victims.
The conflicting figures reflect the difficulties authorities face in gathering reliable information from remote communities affected by armed attacks.
Authorities have yet to confirm that approximately 600 people were abducted or authenticate the video. Security forces have been deployed to the area as efforts continue to locate the captives and establish the full extent of the attacks.
