Key facts
- Over 60 worshippers were abducted from the Kpenya Mosque in Niger state, Nigeria.
- The abduction occurred during Friday prayers following an initial raid on nearby villages.
- Police confirmed no lives were lost during the incident.
- Security forces have been deployed to the area for rescue and assessment operations.
Armed men abducted over 60 worshippers from a mosque in Nigeria's north-central Niger state during Friday prayers, police reported. The incident is the latest in a series of mass kidnappings plaguing the region.
According to police spokesperson Wasiu Abiodun, the attackers targeted the Kpenya Mosque in the Dekara district of Borgu local government area around 2 p.m. (1300 GMT) on Friday, following an initial assault on the villages of Gidan-Zana and Kpenya.
Abiodun stated that no fatalities occurred and that a joint security detachment has been dispatched to the area to conduct assessments and initiate rescue efforts.
A local resident informed Reuters that the attack appeared to be coordinated, occurring simultaneously in Dekara and three other communities within Borgu while residents were engaged in Friday prayers. Reuters was unable to independently verify this account.