Numerous Muslim worshippers have been kidnaped by gunmen in areas in Borgu LGA, Niger state.

The event happened on Friday just after the weekly Juma'at prayer at the Dekara community's central mosque ended, according to Zagazola Makama, a counter-insurgency journal that focuses on the Lake Chad region.

Worshippers from the settlements of Gidan Zana, Masaka, and Sabon Gida were also kidnaped, according to security sources and eyewitnesses quoted in the article.

The 90-year-old father of the Dekara district chief was allegedly one among those captured by the armed attackers.

Security agencies had mobilised people for a rescue mission, according to Wasiu Abiodun, police public relations officer of the Niger state command, who also confirmed the occurrence.

No deaths have been reported in relation to the incident, according to Abiodun, who also stated that attempts were being made to find the victims and capture the offenders.

However, he claimed that the mobility of security forces responding to the situation was being hampered by challenging terrain and bad road conditions.

He said that the deployment of security personnel and the rescue effort had been further delayed by the collapse of a bridge that connected the impacted towns to the Borgu LGA headquarters.

Security services are attempting to overcome the logistical obstacles and step up the search for the kidnaped worshippers, according to the police spokesperson.

Source