An armed group posted a video showing what residents said were about 600 women, children and older people abducted in an attack on a mosque in Nigeria’s north-central Niger State. The video, posted on Sunday on Facebook and WhatsApp, showed large groups of people seated in a forested area surrounded by armed men. Several children could be heard crying in the background.
Reuters could not independently verify the authenticity of the video. Police and state authorities did not respond to requests for comment. Mass kidnappings for ransom have become common in parts of northwestern and north-central Nigeria, where heavily armed gangs frequently raid villages, schools and highways. The video surfaced two days after gunmen attacked worshippers at the mosque in Dekara village during Friday prayers, taking people away in what residents said were simultaneous raids on several communities. Police had earlier confirmed an attack on worshippers in the area but said they could not verify the number of people abducted. In the video, a gunman speaking in Hausa addressed families of the captives and urged them to identify relatives among the people in the footage.
"These are all your people. We are showing you this video so that you can identify your family members, your fathers, mothers, children and relatives," the gunman said.
Resident Jamilu Ibrahim appealed to federal and state authorities to secure the release of the captives, citing the number of mothers with infants and children among those shown in the footage.
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