Niger Communities Publish Names of 547 Abducted Worshippers

Communities in Borgu LGA of Niger State have released the names of 547 Worshipers abducted during attacks on Mosques in Dekara District, contradicting the Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago’s recent alleged comment that only 33 persons were abducted, Daily Trust reported yesterday.

The newspaper said while receiving his predecessor, Senator Abubakar Sani Bello, at the Government House to commiserate with the government and people of Niger state over the death of 37 artisanal miners in NSCDC Custody, Bago had described the reports of over 500 persons “as a social media hype”.

“33 were kidnapped at the mosque, and on their way, they kidnapped an additional 30 in a market, making a total of 63. So far, three of those kidnapped were killed and 14 recovered from them, so we should not be misled by people and the social media”, he had said.

The Borgu LG chairman, Mohammed Nasir Abdullahi, had also corroborated the governor by telling newsmen recently that a little above 60 were kidnapped during the attack.

But the community kicked against the comments of the political leaders and released names of all the abductees.

According to Dail Trust, in a document, Zubairu Umar, the Youth President of Dekara District, insisted that a total of 547 community members were taken into the Kainji Lake National Park Forest and their whereabouts and condition have remained unknown.

The attack occurred on August 21, 2026, when bandits raided four mosques in Dekara District during Friday Jumma’at prayers.

The abductions spanned multiple local areas, affecting many of families and religious leaders across the district.

A community breakdown signed by Umar detailed the scale of the abduction across five affected communities.