President deploys military, police and intelligence agencies to rescue victims after attacks on Borgu communities leave scores kidnapped and residents dead.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has ordered an immediate and coordinated security operation to rescue victims of the recent mass abduction in Niger State, directing security and intelligence agencies to ensure that all those taken captive are accounted for.
The President directed the Armed Forces, Nigeria Police Force, Department of State Services (DSS) and other relevant agencies to work together to secure the safe release of the abducted victims.
The directive followed attacks on several communities in Borgu Local Government Area of Niger State, during which scores of residents were abducted, including worshippers attending Friday prayers at a mosque in Kpenya village.
Borgu Local Government Chairman, Abdullahi Mohammed Nasir, said at least 60 people were kidnapped during the attacks, while an unspecified number of residents sustained gunshot injuries while attempting to escape.
Residents, however, put the number of abducted persons between 60 and 80, although the police had yet to provide an official figure.
Niger State Police spokesperson, Wasiu Abiodun, confirmed that gunmen attacked the mosque in Kpenya after raiding several villages in the area.
Tinubu, who expressed outrage over the attacks and the killing of innocent residents, ordered the Service Chiefs to provide him with regular updates on the rescue operation until all the victims are accounted for.
In a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the President described the attackers as enemies of peace and humanity and vowed that they would face justice.
He also expressed condolences to families who lost loved ones and assured relatives of the abducted victims that the Federal Government would deploy the necessary resources to secure their safe return.
Tinubu said the attacks would not weaken the government’s determination to confront terrorism and other forms of criminality threatening communities across the country.
He further assured the Niger State Government of federal support for recovery and relief efforts, as well as the reinforcement of security in affected communities.
The latest attacks have renewed concerns over insecurity in remote communities across Niger State, where residents continue to face threats from armed criminal groups.