Northern senators urge FG to rescue victims abducted in Niger mosque attack

The Northern Senators Forum has implored the Federal Government to swiftly rescue residents taken captive during a mosque assault and subsequent attack on adjacent areas in Borgu Local Government Area of Niger State. The forum has also appealed for an increased presence of security forces in the impacted regions and a reassessment of security protocols across Niger State and the North-Central region to deter future incidents.

In a statement released in Abuja on Wednesday, the forum's leader, Senator Abdulaziz Yar’Adua, denounced the assault on Kpenya Mosque and the towns of Gidan-Zana and Kpenya in Dekara District. The assault purportedly transpired during Jumat prayers when insurgents stormed the mosque around 2 pm and seized worshippers. Women, children, and elderly residents were among those reportedly seized, while some villagers fled into a nearby woodland.

Yar’Adua expressed the forum's profound shock and distress over accounts suggesting the attackers had planted landmines and held additional residents hostage as leverage. He described the targeting of worshippers and vulnerable rural communities as cowardly. "Therefore, we urge the Armed Forces, the Nigeria Police Force, the Department of State Services, and all pertinent security agencies to expedite rescue efforts and ensure the immediate and secure release of all those abducted," he declared.

Yar’Adua further advocated for urgent humanitarian aid and medical support for the affected residents, as well as enhanced security around Borgu and other border communities.