The Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) has called for the immediate rescue of more than 60 worshippers reportedly abducted from a mosque during Jumu’at prayers in Dekara, Borgu Local Government Area of Niger State.

The worshippers were among scores of residents reportedly killed, injured or abducted when terrorists attacked four communities in the area on August 21.

The Council, in a statement signed by its Public Affairs Officer, Abbas Jimoh, condemned the attacks on Gbeji (Gidan-Zana), Kpenya, Giyan Gbasu and Dekara, describing them as a grave assault on innocent civilians.

It said about 30 people were reportedly killed in the attacks, while several others sustained injuries, some of them life-threatening.

The NSCIA described the invasion of the Dekara Central Mosque during Jumu’at prayers as particularly disturbing, saying the abduction of worshippers was an attack on the sanctity of worship and citizens’ right to practise their faith without fear.

The Council also rejected the view that insecurity in parts of the country is primarily targeted at Christians, saying the attack on Muslim worshippers showed that insecurity affects Nigerians across religious lines.

It said framing the security crisis as a conflict against one particular religious group could undermine efforts to tackle terrorism and protect affected communities.

The NSCIA expressed concern that the latest attack was reportedly the third major attack on Dekara and neighbouring communities in recent years.

According to the Council, previous attacks had forced entire populations to leave their ancestral homes and seek refuge in other parts of Niger and Kwara states, as well as across Nigeria’s border in the Republic of Benin.

The Council also raised concerns about the timing of the attacks, noting that they occurred barely three weeks after Nigerian security forces rescued 308 abducted persons from the Kainji Lake National Park forest.

The rescue operation, carried out on August 5, involved 163 persons abducted from Woro in Kaiama Local Government Area of Kwara State and 145 others from communities in Borgu Local Government Area of Niger State, including Kasuwan Daji, Konkonso and Pissa.

The NSCIA said the operation demonstrated what security forces could achieve when provided with adequate resources, intelligence, coordination and political support.

However, it said the attacks raised questions about the sustainability of the gains recorded and the ability of security agencies to prevent terrorists from returning to vulnerable communities.

The Council therefore urged the Federal Government to move beyond rescue operations and establish a permanent, intelligence-driven and community-based security system to protect communities in affected areas.

It called for an immediate review of security arrangements across Niger and Kwara states and adjoining border communities, particularly those around the Kainji Lake National Park and surrounding forest corridors.

The NSCIA also demanded the immediate mobilisation of security resources to locate and rescue all persons still being held captive following the August 21 attacks.

It urged security agencies to intensify aerial surveillance, intelligence gathering, early-warning systems and coordinated ground operations.

The Council said forests and other difficult terrains being used as hideouts and hostage-holding locations by terrorists should no longer be treated as inaccessible areas.

It also called for adequate equipment, logistical support and proper motivation for security personnel deployed to vulnerable communities.

The NSCIA urged state governments, traditional rulers, religious leaders and residents to strengthen cooperation with security agencies.

It said residents who provide useful intelligence should be protected, while community vigilante groups operating within the law should be properly regulated and integrated into wider community protection and early-warning systems.

The Council further called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the National Security Council, the Ministries of Defence and Interior and other relevant security agencies to treat the Borgu attacks as a national emergency requiring immediate and coordinated action.

The NSCIA expressed condolences to the families of those killed and prayed for the recovery of those injured. (The Guardian)