Video appears to show 600 people abducted in Nigeria mosque attack, residents say

By Ahmed Kingimi and Hamza Ibrahim

MAIDUGURI, Nigeria, Aug 24 (Reuters) – An armed group has 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 last week. 

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.

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 and hold them until paid large sums of money. Gunmen have increasingly expanded south, beyond hotspots in the north.

‘WE HAVE IDENTIFIED OUR ELDERS, RELATIVES’

The video surfaced two days after the latest kidnapping when 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.

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.

Reuters could not verify the exact date or the location where the video was filmed. However, no older version of the video was found posted online before August 23, 2026.

Four residents said they were able to confirm the identities of some of those seized.

“The people in the video are from Dekara. I’ve identified 13 people that I know,” Ibrahim Abubakar told Reuters.

Another resident, Abdulmutallib Muqaddas Dindi, said those who appeared in the video had been seized during the prayers. “We have identified our elders, relatives, and some of us have seen their wives and children in the video,” he said.

Police and state authorities did not respond to requests for comment on Monday. Police had earlier confirmed an attack on worshippers in the area but said they could not verify the number of people abducted.

Resident Jamilu Ibrahim appealed to federal and state authorities to secure the release of the captives, pointing out the number of mothers with infants and children among those shown in the footage.

(Reporting by Ahmed Kingimi in Maiduguri and Hamza Ibrahim in Kano; Additional reporting by Milan Pavicic; Writing by Ben Ezeamalu and David Lewis; Editing by Kate Mayberry and Andrew Heavens)