Armed Group Posts Video of 600 Mosque Abductees in Niger State

3 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Aug 24

Residents in Nigeria's Niger State said a video posted on Facebook and WhatsApp shows about 600 women, children and older people seized from Dekara village during Friday prayers.
The footage shows captives seated in a forest under armed guard as a Hausa-speaking gunman tells families to identify relatives, underscoring what residents say was a mass kidnapping for ransom.
Reuters could not verify when or where the video was filmed, but found no earlier online version before Sunday; four residents said they recognized people taken in the mosque attack, including elders, wives and children.
Police earlier confirmed an attack on worshippers but said they could not verify the number abducted, and state authorities did not respond on Monday as residents appealed for the captives' release.
Mass kidnappings have become common in north-western and north-central Nigeria, with heavily armed gangs increasingly pushing south from their traditional northern strongholds.