Video shows hundreds held captive after Nigeria mosque kidnapping

An armed group executed a large-scale kidnapping last Friday, targeting worshippers at a mosque in Dekara village, located in Nigeria’s north-central Niger State. The perpetrators abducted a substantial number of individuals, including women, children, and the elderly, during the assault on the religious site.

Subsequent to the incident, the armed faction circulated a video via Facebook and WhatsApp. This footage purports to show the hundreds of individuals taken during the mosque attack. Local residents have corroborated that the video depicts approximately 600 women, children, and older people who were forcibly removed from the village last week.

The video itself presents a stark visual: large assemblies of people are seen seated in a forested area, under the watchful eyes of armed men who surround them. The disturbing sound of children crying intensely can be distinctly heard throughout the recording, underscoring the severe distress and vulnerability of the hostages. This event highlights the escalating security challenges in Nigeria, where such mass abductions continue to pose a grave threat to civilian populations and national stability, demanding urgent attention from authorities and the international community alike.