Nigeria's president orders manhunt after kidnappers upload victim video

What the report says

Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu has ordered security forces to hunt down armed kidnappers after a deadly attack on four villages in Niger state, in the country’s north-central region, BBC Africa reported. The assault last Friday affected Dekara, Gidan Zana, Sabon Gida and Masaka, and local residents said several mosques were targeted while people were praying.

The BBC said the attackers later posted a video on social media showing dozens of men, women and children sitting in a forest, apparently among those they claimed to have abducted. A local youth leader told the broadcaster he believed he recognised several people in the footage, which has given some families reassurance that their relatives may still be alive. A local official also said some villagers were injured and others had fled the area.

Police spokesman Wasiu Abiodun told the BBC that more than 40 people had been killed, although the exact death toll had not been confirmed. A youth leader suggested the number of abducted people could be as high as 500, but that figure was also unverified. The attackers were previously believed to be bandits, a term used in Nigeria for armed criminal groups that carry out kidnappings and looting for ransom.

Tinubu, through a statement from his spokesman, condemned the killings and promised that those responsible would face justice. The attack highlights the worsening insecurity in the Borgu area, near the borders with Kebbi and Kwara states and close to Benin, where officials have also warned about the movement of jihadist groups and other armed actors.